The Avengers and Jokul Frosti
by Stella Limegood
Summary: As Loki the fallen prince of Asgard lies in a cell, Odin the Allfather has discovered a shocking truth that could be the foretold ruin of all realms. Meanwhile on Midgard, Tony Stark billionaire, philanthropist has just made a discovery of his very own, one that no one believes, but could change everything. "A boy that flies? Really Tony, tell us another one."(Not a complete cross)
1. ((Story Explanation)) Not chapter

The Idea.

I was stumbling around , this lovely, lovely site & I ran across something I found a tad bit brilliant.

It is a little lone secret that I love Crossover fics, despite them overall being hard to pull off without being totally ridiculous, not to mention never finished.

(Though with my own barely updated fics & such, I really should not criticize.)

(Yes. I know. I really, really, really shouldn't. I apologize in advance! Please don't throw stones! Yipe!)

Moving on, as I was popping in & out of various crossovers I found one that just latched onto my psyche igniting a thrill of possibilities!

It is essentially the crossover genre of: Avengers/Thor meets Rise of the Guardians.

I love the idea of Jack Frost being Loki's son. I just think the idea has huge potential.

{I also love thanks to the brilliant writing of author:**Dreaming-Of-A-Nightmare & her amazing story Whole New Ballpark!**

The idea of a reincarnated Phil Coulson as one of Santa's Yeti's! Seriously that author had a small stroke of genius!}

However, the problems with working this potential crossover are wide.

Number 1 The physics (it's fanfiction so they don't hold too much sway but still.)

Number 2. Santa Claus, Easter Bunny, etc. and their existence in a Marvel Universe?

(How would and or could they reside & interact with an Avenger/Marvel universe well…it makes things a tad confusing to say the least, though hilarious, it's just personally I find the two to lead more to friction then smooth sailing in terms of writing so to speak. This is just a personal note, but then again I still loved the whole thing! I understand this may be confusing. Sorry.)

Number 3. ((SPOILER SPOILER)) Jack's "BIG D", as important, moving & wonderful as his whole origin is; it does cause one or two problems for a complete crossover & yet open doors at the same time. The true question is how would this fit in with him still being Loki's son? Better yet what then would he be? One fanfic writer bless their soul & forgive my laziness, solved the problem by using the old ghost idea! Another just made him super special. Honestly I was so moved by the whole thing I feel ashamed to tamper with it but at the same time my brain argues the relationship physics need to be addressed so yet again we meet problem Number 1.

So, then it hit me! Why must a crossover be a complete crossover? Why not just take inspiration from one or two things and then glue it to another idea so to speak, mix a bit of what many of us love & strive to create something original as far as fanfiction goes, but with inspiration & influence from other sources!

Hence the Idea!

The Idea of an Avengers/Thor fanfic with heavy inspiration from the movie Rise of the Guardian for references, therefore not a complete crossover. Yet not without a healthy amount of blending as well…..

Now that I've cleared the path so to speak, I should I suppose start with the real prologue.

-A note from Stella Limegood


	2. Prologue: A small village

_Jokul Frosti. Was the son of Loki. A son unknown._

_Who followed the moon._

_For only the moon knew where it was Jokul would go._

_A lost prince of ice & snow._

_Who had all the world for him to roam._

_But secretly longed only for one place._

_A place called home._

**_The Avengers &_**

**_Jokul Frosti._**

_A fanfic by Stella limegood._

_Prologue:_

_((Line Break*))_

_ Once long ago there was a small village high in the northern lands of what would one day be called Europe. It was a pleasant little place, surrounded by vast forests of pine accentuated by a wide stream that led to a little lake all under the eye of sleeping mountains. _

_A gentle place, so unassuming to the world, so small when compared to the vastness of the universe that it was if anything utterly insignificant._

_Yet, it would be in this small little place where two Gods would come to rest their weary heads._

_One God was built like an Ox, an obvious warrior, great to behold and just as bold! With a booming voice matched only by the thunder of the clouds above or the strike of his hammer. His name was Thor._

_The other God was harder to describe. Quiet in manner but extremely striking to the naked eye. Like a great Cat every gesture & word that came from him was with exact precision. With his scholarly manner and dashing smile, he introduced himself as Loki._

_They were both Gods from the Realm Eternal. Princes and Brothers united forever it seemed despite their differences. And they had come to the little village to rest having near ended what they assumed would be their finale sojourn to the world of Midgard._

_Unbeknownst to the two Gods, who quickly entered the village's most well respected tavern, was another person present at the time who also descended from greatness._

_She was a young woman raised in ignorance of her lost heritage. A heritage that could have been traced back to those most fable beings known only as the Fey of Avalon and yet to spare her the cruelty of death for being different she had been hidden away in this small town at birth. Raised as nothing more than a simple maiden of the community by her aunt. Her name was Rosijen Frost._

_She was unknowingly the very last of her kind left._

_((Line Break*))_

"What good luck we have had brother! Did I not tell you we would succeed!" shouted Thor happily as he gave his brother a hearty pat on the back. Ignoring the fact he was flinging his fourth cup of Midgardian Ale all over the place, including fellow travelers.

They had been told of a terrible beast that had been killing all over the mountain pass of this part of Midgard, and to Thor's joy & Loki's irritation had indeed found said beast & killed it abruptly. Despite not knowing what it had been exactly in the first place, except that it had in fact been quite horrible.

"Indeed you did, brother. However, I still say we should have captured it," replied Loki as he swiped away some of the Ale that Thor had spilled on him.

"BAH!" was Thor's elegant retort to the thought of capture & study, "Brother you spend too much time on the musings of logic!"

"Oh really?" said Loki raising one eyebrow.

"Yes. You must learn to enjoy the moment more brother!" Thor thundered adamantly, clanking his cup down upon their table in emphasis.

" As I have said so before!" Thor added.

Loki somehow managed to scoff whilst chuckling at the same time. Mentally he reviewed the past six months the two of them had spent on Midgard adventuring. He recalled a grand total of ten times that if he had been just "enjoying the moment" as Thor suggested, chances were they wouldn't be able to enjoy their nice ale presently.

"Forgive me brother, but I must disagree. If I was as impetuous as you, I'm afraid you would still be strapped to a chair by that charming _Lady _you made friends with." Chuckled Loki as he sipped coolly from his drink. A wide grin spreading across his face at the memory.

Thor's face turning a bright beat red at the same time adding another couple of inches to Loki's smug smile.

"_She_ was in _disguise_. How was I to know!?" Thor grumbled. Clouds began to darken the evening sky outside the tavern, as if to counter the now plum color that adorned Thor's cheeks.

"Now, now brother, no need to get so upset," began Loki grinning, "after all I'm sure you could make any female _Ogre _happy!"

Thor momentarily lost his ability to speak due to the overwhelming feelings of embarrassment at his previous blunder!

Loki taking advantage of this continued to tease!

"Why I can see it now! She walks in warty as a hog!"

"!"

"You with your hammer! Her with her tooth filer."

"!?"

"As you approach our father in his throne room, the whole of Asgard kneels to the stench of your beloved amour! Her backside making sounds greater than the horns of the trumpeters at your grand announcement!"

"Brother!"

"Our mother Frigga faints from the sheer shock of her eldest son being betrothed to a woman who has so many curves she makes a continent look like an island! With a hide as hard as the rusted iron! She is quite lovely." Loki exaggerates seriously, as a small crowd gathers in amusement at his little tale.

"Brother! Please!" Thor spits out!

"Then the final moment comes! As our father taps you both once with his Holy Spear you turn to face each other! You lean in to kiss her passionately! You care not for the maggots around her mouth! Or for the flies that have nested in her nostrils!"

A loud guffaw could be heard from the now pleasant crowd of listeners. Amused by this Loki began to act out his narrative with merry hand gestures.

"You dear brother Thor! You care only for the soul of your beloved! A soul so rare that it is practically filled with nothing but undeniable lust! Lust! I tell you!"

"Loki!"

"Yes! Brother! Do not deny the truth! Her desire for you is only matched by her desire for food! Food that you will graciously give to her at every minute no matter how rotten it may be! Until she makes the bed break by the shear amount of weight that comes! Then you shall face your greatest challenge!"

"AND WHAT WILL THAT BE?!" shouted Thor at last finding his voice again now amidst the sea of jovial listeners gathered around their table.

"Why? Brother how could you not know?," deadpanned Loki seriously.

"It shall be parenthood of Little Thorgrelings!" he finished!

Thor shook the room with his mirth!

Laughter filled the entire tavern at the end of Loki's little spun story. A crowd of at least twenty good men of the village of all ages had started to gather around the two gods! Bringing up their own amusing stories of pretty nymphs, ugly hags & silly little stories of the wife they had to go home too later that day. After more calls for stories, and another good round of drinks, the sky of the little village grew dark.

Loki began to grow tired of the bustling little taverns mayhem, he had cast a strong spell earlier when they had battled the beast. The effects of which he was beginning to feel.

As he stood up to excuse himself, his brother now drunk caught his shoulder, "You know Loki! One day! HICCUP! One day you will harv…. haft had…HICCUP! YOU WILL BE CAUGHT! And you two will have a little bitty Lokittii!"

"Ha. Yes well, we shall see." Said Loki sarcastically, as he tried once more to free himself from Thor's strong drunken grip.

"No. No. Brother! You will! You will!" cried Thor eyes growing wide until he thundered, "ANOTHER DRINK AROUND!"

Loki slipped out of his brother's grasp, making his way outside the tavern as cheers emanated from behind him.

((Line Break*))

_ The God Loki made his way through the small little village, observing the little fires where families had dinners roasting. Watching as children under the protective eyes of their mother's caught tiny glowing bugs in their hands. He found himself feeling a strange sense of serenity in this unimportant little village. He would recall eventually how he felt a calm seep into him, the way one might describe the sense of floating in water as waves gently roll under. _

_It was as the God mused over this inner peace that he came to the little lake, which rested just outside the last house of the village. _

_The moon was full. Glowing brightly above the place, stars reflected in the lake's surface were scattered all around, a cold gentle breeze blew across the ground, tugging at Loki's long dark hair._

_He smiled softly._

_Eyes leaving the moon's glow he felt his heart stop._

_A woman was coming out of other end of the lake, bathed in the moonlight he saw her in her most natural state. Skin pale as snow, with hair that shimmered under the stars, she could have surpassed any Aesir beauty easily. When she turned around her eyes locked straight onto his. Her eyes like two soft dark pools._

_A silence descended upon the whole village it seemed or perhaps it was just that Loki's breathe hitched._

_The man no longer God stood there frozen speechless._

_He awaited her judgment of him to be passed. _

_The moon hanging over their interaction in curiosity._

_Loki could bare the silence no longer, "Forgive me!" he cried softly to this unknown goddess._

_She looked up to the sky as if in thought, brought her gaze back to him and did the last thing Loki expected of her. She smirked at him._

"_Well. I suppose I might? Just whom am I forgiving, anyway?" she queried._

"_Loki milady. Loki of Asgard." he bowed his heart beating wildly._

_She laughed, "Well you're a proper peeping ass I'll give you that!"_

_Loki grinned, "Would you prefer I be improper?!"_

"_Ha," she snapped, "Too late now!"_

_With that she turned her back to him. Walked up to the bank slipping on a small peasant dress, as she made her way towards where he stood. When she was close enough to be only a few feet away, Loki spoke again, "Please I know I am an ass, but by tomorrow I will be gone anyway so I don't see the harm. Please I beseech you what is your name, fair one?"_

_She let out a little chuckle that sounded to Loki like little bells ringing._

"_Fair?" her eyes lit with amusement, "No one has ever called me fair afor!"_

"_Then I have the honor of being the first!" declared Loki bowing again._

"_Indeed you do." She said arms crossing in habit. Then with a quick decision she decided to bow back at him._

"_What did you say your name was again?" she asked._

"_Loki m'love!" he cried realizing too late what he had let slip, "I mean m'lady! Not that you aren't lovely! You are lovely! I just! I mean we just met and I! Well you .. your!"_

_As the God known for his words stumbled upon them for the first time in over four hundred years the woman's eyes had gone from simple curiosity to outright amazement, to an almost prophetic like decision. _

_She took in this babbling prince before her. Wondering at this crazy inescapable moment of luck. Knowing her fate was sealed as a small town village girl. She made her choice._

_She crossed the space between them, a soft wind picking up her shimmering hair, as she placed two fingers upon the tongue-tied God's lips. Silencing him._

"_My love. my name is Rosijen Frost, but you feel colder than my name! Here let me show you how to keep warm."_

_((Line Break*))_

_ The next day the two Gods departed the small village. One with a searing headache another with a slightly hurting heart. They could not afford to linger in the peaceful little village not even for a extra day. Otherwise they would miss the bifrost opening, and be stranded on Midgard for five hundred earth years at least. The two Gods made their way out._

_Glancing back at the little village only once. The warrior Thor made a remark that he had enjoyed the quiet little place but could not wait to return to the glory of Asgard, full of dreams of his next great battle._

_His brother was silent for a long moment. A feeling of being split in two was all he spoke on the outside, pretending to only be in love with the tranquility of the small place. Not a single whisper was let loose of the woman he had spent the night with. Yet there was a part of the God Loki that felt he truly was making a mistake in leaving her? As if he now belonged in the small insignificant village?_

_Growing impatient the great Thor clamped his hand on his brother's shoulder steering him away from the village. Loki allowed his brother to lead as he had for hundred of years and never looked back._

_As time passed the little village disappeared. The people spread to other places, the ones that stayed grew old & faded with the ongoing current of time._

_The great pines were eventually cut all save those closest to the lake. The mountains that slept nearby continued to sleep till roads were made on top of them. All of time moved forward on the world of Midgard, till it seemed nothing of that small little village remained._

_Nothing save one legend._

_A little legend._

_That nine months after Loki & Thor had left began it's own strange little story. In it's own strange little way._

_The story that went by the name of Jack Frost._

_Who also once many years ago carried the name Jokul Frosti._

_The son of Loki._

_((Line Break*))_

_A son that recently no one knew existed, until Tony Stark caught him on top of the Empire State Building. Which is in fact where everything truly begins…_


	3. Chapter 1: What's your name?

Chapter 1*

_N__othing._

_Nothing else, in the world was quite like flying through a sky lit with stars._

Nothing, also happened to be the amount of action Tony Stark famous playboy; superhero, billionaire, philanthropist & societal wastrel, was getting tonight! Needless to say on multiple levels.

Which was a fact that was putting the _Iron Man_ in a pretty poor mood as he flew yet another round of patrol over New York City.

" Hey Jarvis? Are you sure you scanned the City's west side already?" asked Tony sullenly.

It had been about six months since the '_Crazed Moose' _as Tony liked to call, the wannaebe god, _Loki_; had attacked New York with an alien army. Six months since Tony had been brought aboard a secret military base to become part of a team of amazing fighters, called the _Avengers._ And six fairly peaceful months since together the _Avengers _had saved the Earth!

It had also been six months since he was last thrown out a window. Not that he wanted to repeat that precise moment. But it was just an experience one couldn't muster to forget, even with vast amounts of alcohol.

On a side note being thrown from a window made for a darn good party icebreaker. "_When in doubt bring up the window thing_", became _Iron Man's _new fallback, in conversation.

Tonight though, there were no parties for Tony. It was his turn to go on patrol for any sort of criminality going on around town. Unfortunately as was mentioned earlier, absolutely nothing was happening.

"Indeed Sir. All calculations have been made. The weather is 80% clear skies. There are no traffic jams at this current time, and there is a total of 12.35% amount of crime related events going on in the West Side Vicinity." Replied the monotone voice of Jarvis, Tony's self-built super computer.

"How is that even possible? It's New York for Pete's sake?!" snapped Tony in astonishment.

Missing another pigeon by a fraction of a second by spinning in a half circle in midair. He hated pigeons! They always got in the way with his steering the suit.

"Jarvis when was your last update?!" he demanded. Thinking to himself, '_Clearly I'm slacking on upgrading some of Jarvis's systems. They're has to be more crime tonight then that old Granny stealing bananas from the convenient store! Again!"_

_((Line Break))_

New York was known for many things, but a crime free city? It just didn't seem possible. Then again if Tony had been honest, he would have acknowledged that ever since the _Avengers _had made the previously named _Stark Tower_ their new base of operations. Crime in New York had trickled down to a jaw-dropping low. After all, it was common sense that trying to pull a fast one on the people responsible for knocking the invading aliens arses, was probably not a great idea. Well not without some top-notch military hacked cracking firepower!

Which for the first three months after the "_Moose Event"_ had actually occurred a significant amount of times. However, after the _Avengers _had sent _Doctor Doom_ to jail, twice, things had started to get really slow.

Reaching a final point three weeks ago, when Iron Man came to the distress call of a local convenient store. Where the _now_ old dreaded woman Mrs. Frisbie, was not only stealing bananas! But tossing oranges slices at other shoppers shouting in a rattling voice, "Eat your vitamins! No treats till you eat your vitamins! Is that you Cornelius? Get outta that red yellow eye sore an help your Granny! Those are my BANNANAS!"

Tony would give Mrs. Frisbie her due. The old fogie had a stare that could kill, when aimed, and with that cane of hers, well as _Barton aka The Hawk_ had put it, "That woman is lethal!"

Yes. With her little pink eyeglasses, Mrs. Frisbie had managed the impossible and become the true form of fear in all of the _Avengers _eyes. Nick Fury was no exception.

Out of all of them, Tony reflected, Thor's case with her had been particularly bad.

Poor Thor intending to help had originally misunderstood the whole situation. Thor had begun yelling at the storeowners, for them to allow Mrs. Frisbie her bananas. Not realizing that with the storeowner being a woman herself he had committed a great faux pas in Mrs. Frisbie's presence. Next thing Thor knew the old woman had turned and begun hitting him with her walking cane whilst shouting, "You brute of a man! How dare you raise your voice in a lady's presence! I taught you better Cornelius! DON'T YOU TELL ME TO DISIST! YOU APOLOGIZE TO THE MISS! APOLOGIZE!" Whack. Whack. Whack. Tha-wack! Cracck!

"You broke my Prime walking stick! Time for a Spanking! Look! I dropped my bananas!" Whack.

Thor had come back to the tower a little traumatized that day.

Much to Tony's amusement, Thor had also decreed that the old Mrs. Frisbie was to be put on their Hostile List as number one. And that all convienant stores of New York, (plus banana's), should be considered her territory in the necessary future. With much consideration upon it, Tony had to agree with Thor.

Mrs. Frisbie like Barton had said was horrifying.

Tony sighed. Speaking of Mrs. Frisbie, it looked to either be her or Hobo Chicken Joe between the choices for _Iron Man's _attention tonight.

Trying to keep from getting bored, Tony flew in plain view of many of the skyscrapers, the reflection of his metal suit shining off of them. There was plenty of traffic, the streets were filled with pedestrians, club goers were dressed up for fun. Everyone was busy with living his or her daily lives. Not a crime in sight.

There just simply wasn't anything else that called for his help going on?

"To think I should have gone out with Pepper after all!" Tony muttered. Even a political dinner party back at company headquarters would have been better than this.

_((Line Break))_

_A cold blast of wind flew high above the city of New York, up amongst the clouds lit with the moon's guiding light, unseen by everything was a figure drifting with the wind. Eyes' focused on the site of the world below him. He had wanted to come visit the city sooner especially since those "alien" things had appeared here, but a Guardian of Earth, Tooth, had needed his assistance elsewhere._

_Still he was here now taking in the site of a City that was still rebuilding in many places, he observed._

_He glided on top of the wind, taking in the foreign scents of the New York's air. It's loudness and life awaking a multitude of emotions inside him._

_On the one hand he could get lost in the wonder of it all! The way the streets hummed as people talked, shouted, drove cars, bustled in stores, rang cell-phones! So alive! The place was full of opportunities! Times Square's billboards gleamed a spectrum of colors that 200 years ago weren't even possible to make!_

_Inspiration struck him! He could already picture the harmless amounts of entertainment he would be creating, here! _

_A chuckle passed his lips, yet? _

_Yet, deep down he felt the old division for it was places so full of life that also made him think about things. _

_ Things like the basic questions, "Where did I come from?" or "Why am I the only one?" or "What am I, exactly anyway?"" or his least favorite, "Why am I here?"_

_Questions that he knew after the first 100 years he would simply have to accept, because there was no one that could answer. Questions that he decided were in the long run better left ignored anyhow. _

_Besides, he knew what mattered. Over the course of 300-going on 400 years he knew what he liked and disliked. He knew in his soul what he wanted most, or he assumed he did anyway. _

"_What did he really want?" he thought._

_He shook his head a bit. _

_He knew that he had lived for an outrageously long time; especially for someone who was not an Immortal Guardian of Earth? _

_He knew that he had lots of powers. Not just the obvious one that dealt with his being able to turn any place into a snow globe. _

_Then again? What all those powers were was a bit of a riddle, but he was working on that. _

_He knew at one time he had belonged to a small village, somewhere in Europe. He was pretty sure he could still find the Lake nestled near the long gone village outskirts?_

_He would always remember the Lake._

_Simply since anything after he had emerged from the Lake he remembered clearly._

_It was the memories before that were foggy. As if a sheet of icy glass had been purposefully set to block them from his mind? _

_Still from the brief flashes in his memory he was able to bring up, he could place a warm bed with straw. A sweet voice singing in the background, accompanying a gentle safe feeling as he once played with other village children. A sense of being different even then, but most importantly still included. Perhaps even, a sense of having once belonged somewhere partially? _

_Someplace where Jack Frost or if you were as old as North, Jokul Frosti could have called home?_

"_What was home anyway?" Jack suddenly thought in annoyance. He had been around the Earth for at least 378 years or so & seen all sorts of homes going from muddy caves to the elaborate palace of China's Emperor! _

_Home was whatever you made it._

_So why did he still feel a sense of misplaced nagging? When, he Jack Frost had made it a point to adopt the whole world as a home!?_

_Jack mulled over this set of thoughts as he allowed himself to float all the way down to the Madison Street beneath him. His feet creating ice as he touched the sidewalk. _

_A person walked right through him!_

_Jack yelped in alarm as his whole essence quivered in shock, a feeling like hundreds of little bee stings zinged through him! _

_Absolutely no one noticed his small moment of panic._

_ Later, Jack Frost touched down onto the tallest city skyscraper he could find. In an instant snow began to softly fall in the area. People on the streets below stopped to gawk at the white little dots that were multiplying from the sky! _

_Jack's foot touched the building, causing ice to begin creeping all over, quickly making it's way down the building's side._

_He twirled his staff around a bit. More snowflakes began to fall._

_A wicked grin spread across his elf like face! This was going to be great! An August blizzard! What could be better!?_

_He looked around him, watching a few of the people gathered just a little ways beneath him on what he assumed was an observatory deck thanks to the telescopes. Faces gawking up at the sky, past him to the flurries his general presence created._

_A woman with an ice cream cone began catching the snow with it, making it look as if she had put sprinkles on it._

_Jack smiled._

_An idea was forming!_

_Some teenagers wearing shorts began pulling cell phones out to take photos of the weather fluke._

_Jack's idea became solid like cement!_

_His crystal like emerald eyes gleaming with upcoming mischief!_

_(((Line Break)))_

"What the?"

Snow?

It was snowing?

This early in August?

"Jarvis what did you say the weather was again?" Tony asked.

"All reports read that tonight's weather was 80% clear skies, sir."

"80% Clear Skies?"

"Yes. Sir."

"Jarvis. You are reading this snow falling right?" Tony asked bewildered as the temperature of his suit rose to counterattack the sudden chill.

"Indeed sir."

"Care to explain then?"

"…"

"Ahem. Jarvis, I'm looking at the tempiture here it appears that over half the city in under one minute went from about 78 degrees to now…Holy Moses! Thirty and still heading down! What gives? Jarvis?" Tony stated now definitely baffled! He'd heard of extreme weather changes like this occurring in the past hundred years. Having to look into it, when making some special guerilla type outfits for soldiers back in the days of yore. Always though, the places where weird flukes like this had occurred had been like the Sahara desert or _Beijing_ actually? Never New York City?

Looked like things were going to get interesting after all, if not historical.

"Well Jives?" Tony ordered a little.

"…..Computing origin sir….." replied Jarvis.

Tony's brow furrowed, as he flew closer to where Time's Square was he began noticing that down below chaos seemed to be occurring!

Everywhere you looked people were rushing into the nearest places of warmth they could find! Once happy flip-flop striders were now manically running home to avoid loosing toes! The streets were becoming so icy that plenty of people were now sliding down them now on frosted bums. Traffic Jams started to pile up alongside the snow, which was only increasing in how much was falling. _Starbucks _employees who had been looking forward to an easy night shift now realized in blind terror that the snow was bringing wave upon waves of epic hot chocolate starved pedestrians! Tony thought for a moment that maybe he should text Steve aka _Captain America_ that his new girlfriend might be in need of a lift.

"Sir?" piped up Jarvis.

"Thought I'd lost you there Jives. So what's the verdict?" Tony asked briskly he was noticing that if he fly in a specific direction the snow seemed to gather more thickly. "_Odd," _he thought.

"I am sorry to inform you sir. That there is no known origin."

_Iron Man seemed to do a double barrel roll in the air skidding a little on a building leaving a few scratches._

"Run that by me again?"

"The origin for the snow sir. It is unknown," came Jarvis's reply.

"That's impossible!" Tony exclaimed, "Okay well at least tell me where it's gathered the most. Maybe _Doom _made a freeze ray or something."

"Certainly sir."

Tony quickly switched on at least one of his back up power cells that he had installed just in case.

The cold weather was making things much more difficult. The air around him was starting to resemble a light blizzard. He had luckily dealt with freezing temperature problems earlier, when he had first made his suit. A fact that had even helped him defeat his first true opponent, his old partner in business. This didn't mean that he was fully prepared for dealing with all the affects of the harshness that cold weather could become. Truthfully he had never even piloted the suit in the snow before.

"Sir. It would seem that the _Empire State Building_ is at the center of the weather anomaly."

"Thanks Jarvis, let's go see what's happening!"

((Line Break))

Tony felt his whole mouth drop. There was a gigantic "_Frosty"_ on top of the _Empire State Building_! It even had an icy carrot nose. It was the biggest, darn _Snow Man_ Tony had ever seen in his life!

The only thing he could compare it too, was that old childhood book he had read called _James & the Giant Peach_. Instead of fruit though there were three gigantic balls of solid ice, not counting the top hat!

He honestly didn't know whether to laugh, be amazed or affronted? It was absolutely ridiculous. Someone, was freezing the entire city, for a giant ice sculpture?

"Bloody hell, _Doom's _really lost it this time?!" Tony muttered, the inner child in him arguing, "_that this was only the most brilliant thing to do with a freeze ray!"_

"Dude. Jarvis take a nice shot of that Snow Man for me!" cried Tony as he flew in towards the building. Whether the one causing all this trouble was insane or not he was going to keep a photo of it.

(((LIne Break)))

_Jack stood back & observed his handy work. 'Okay so it was a little lame' he had to admit. Still there was his introduction to New York. A wonderful giant friendly _Frosty_ Snow Man that was so big that the whole City would be able to see it for miles around! _

_And oh could they see it! The people below him were going nuts! The employees of the building had gone & called the fire department. The fire department had taken one look at the Snow Man & called the Mayor. The Mayor was ordering cranes to come mess up Jack's work. So with a twitch of Jack's fingers here or there, a bit of 'whatever else' it was Jack could do, the Mayor's phone went dead! This caused the Mayor to turn purple!? Then when the Mayor got his hands on his secretaries phone Jack repeated his actions. Accidently, causing the phones for the next four floors down to all go dead! _

_ The next series of events were hilarious to Jack! _

_People were finding themselves inside the Building to all of a sudden become frozen to their Office chairs! This was because Jack had gotten bored a little around the making of the second orb of the Snow Man & decided to explore the building a bit. He had a wonderful time watching a man named Charlie all of a sudden dance during a board meeting, due to the ice Jack had placed in his shirt. "There's a sure fire way to keep their attention!," Jack had stated happily though no one heard him._

_There was also a woman named Katie who flipped out when no matter how much money she put in the hot water dispenser for her tea, it kept on freezing. _

_Lastly Janitor Smithson had lost a plunger, because it was stuck in the toilet, frozen. All the water in the entire building was frozen tight save for a little girl named Pamela's juice cup. Pamela's parents were not so lucky._

_All in all it was turning out to be a wonderful day for Jack Frost! He hadn't caused this sort of level of fun since he'd 'borrowed' North's sleigh!_

_Jack grinned in merriment as he flew around the whole building. Stopping to perch on his staff back at where the Mayor was now currently 'assessing' Jack's work. _

_He watched the Mayor wave his arms around in a desperate panic at the chief of police, demanding explanations that not a soul could give. _

_Jack started to feel himself getting bored, when all of a sudden a flying metal man appeared! Jack's eyes grew huge in wonder!_

"_Mr. Stark! Thank God!" cried the Mayor._

"_Well this is new," Jack said to himself, curiosity growing? _

_((Line Break))_

"Hey there Mayor! How ya doing?" said Iron Man.

"How am I doing? How am I doing! There's a fifty some giant hunk of Ice sitting on a building state taxes only just repaired! How do ya think I'm doing!?" Mayor Gibbs shrieked!

"Careful there, you'll pop a blood vessel," Tony snapped sarcastically as he landed on the buildings surface. His indicators displaying that a light sheen of ice was over every surface inch of the place.

_Particularly a little ways behind the Mayor towards the Head Firemen's left, 'Hmmm'. Tony's eyebrow rose slightly in wonder._

Mayor Gibbs, who was having a very bad day. Ignored Tony's comment towards his health and went right on ranting, "Worse yet not a daft fool can tell me what the hell is going on! It was eighty-five & above this morning now look! Just LOOK! Snow! Snow! SNOW!" As the Mayor exclaimed he waved his arms in a perfect impersonation of a mad '_Muppe_t'. Ending his act with giving the poor Police Chief a glare that even _Jack_ couldn't help but call _icy._

"We can't even get a Crane up to remove that! THAT MONSTROSITY!" shouted the Mayor to Tony!

"_Hey!" shouted Jack indignantly back._

For the briefest of moments Tony could have sworn he had heard on the suit's speakers someone else's voice besides the Mayor's?

'_Too much static from the weather,' _he thought dismissively, "Don't worry Mayor Gibbs, as an _Avenger_ you can count on me to get to the bottom of this? Hmm, this?"

"Piece of Crap," filled in the Mayor.

"_Oh ho no. You did not call my work! Crap!" steamed Jack. He had spent a jolly good amount of energy on that Snow Man, even with it's flaws and like all creators he wasn't about to let the Mayor's words go unchallenged. For if they're was one thing that pissed Jack off more than anything else it was his 'work' being insulted. _

"Art," Tony offered, as he turned to the fireman, "Did you say something sir?"

The head fireman merely shook his head no. Tony could have sworn someone else had said something? He checked his speakers quickly. They were working at 98%. Maybe the cold was affecting him?

"I swear Iron Man you get whoever is responsible for this, and I'll make sure there's a stature built of you!" continued Mayor Gibbs.

"Have you evacuated the citizens at least?" asked Tony trying to get things moving. The Mayor was beginning to irk him.

"We started that 30 minutes ago, some people have found themselves frozen to their chairs so the process is slow going. One poor guy got stuck to the toilet on the sixth floor." Commented the police chief.

_Jack let out a light-hearted laugh. What an image!_

Laughter. He was hearing laughter now? Tony quickly looked all around him, "Excuse me, Mr. Mayor but do you hear someone laughing?"

"LAUGHING!? You think that funny Stark!" Mayor Gibbs squawked.

_Jack immediately stopped laughing. Merry mood gone, "What? What did metal man just say?"_

"No. I don't at this moment, Mr. Mayor, but I keep picking up a voice besides yours on my speaker here? It's very faint? It could just be radio interference, maybe?" Tony's voice drifted as Mayor Gibbs blew up!

"I HAVE A GIANT ICEY CRAPOLA OF A PROBLEM AND YOUR CONCERN IS RADIO INTERFERENCE!"

"Hey, relax, there's no reason to get so upset its just snow!" Tony snapped back.

"JUST SNOW! JUST SNOW! IT'S S…H….I…..!"

SPLAT.

A snowball had slammed itself into the back of the Mayor's head. Leaving everyone else to stare thoughtfully in question, "_Where had the snow ball come from?"_

The Mayor felt the snow dribbled down his already cold spine, he knew the police chief was behind him, he turned around to give the man what for when ….SPLAT.

Yet another snow ball made its' target. This one hit with enough force to send the Mayor falling back into Iron Man's arms!

Tony himself was trying to process what had just happened in the space of a few minutes! It hadn't been the police chief or the head fireman that had thrown the snowball!

It had just appeared out of thin air & flown at the Mayor hitting him on the back of his bald head!

Someone else was here, he was certain now.

"Jarvis! Scan for any & all-possible life forms within this immediate area. Tell me how many people are here!" ordered Tony, thinking quickly, '_What is going on?'_

"Sir. There are in this immediate area five life forms present," reported Jarvis.

"What! Who else is here!" Tony cried, alarmed.

_He wasn't the only one. Jack was growing alarmed too. "After nearly 400 years? It couldn't be?" he whispered. Sliding down to the ground so that he could grip his staff. _

_ The third snowball he had been forming in his hand forgotten._

"Stark! What are you babbling about?" Mayor Gibbs grumpily asked as he tried to regain his lost equilibrium.

"It seems were not the only four here, sir!" replied Tony, thinking quickly, "Jarvis relay the thermal image visual."

"Right away sir."

Tony looked at the world around him through the Thermal Screen there was the Mayor, green on the screen, chilly but present. Then the Police Chief was standing next to him only a few shades lighter then the Mayor as Tony watched him assist the him. And finally besides Tony himself there was the Firemen Head standing a bit off to the side a darker green then the other two shivering.

"Only four," Tony muttered, "Dang it I'm sorry Mayor they're must be something wrong with m…."

_ Tony stopped talking. There behind the Firemen was another person. A much smaller person then Tony had honestly expected. Whose thermal readings were such a dark indigo that Tony knew that they had to be near fatal levels of cold._

_ Later Tony would wonder what possessed him to do what he did, but for the tiny moment it took, he flipped his helmet off so that he could see this mysterious being with his actual eyes._

_As Tony's face became exposed he found himself staring at a very young boy who could only have been around fifteen years old._

_The boy was thin with long legs ending in pale bare feet. Ice that gathered around the boy's toes seemed to also cover the rest of the boy's fairly tall body. His clothes appeared to consist of a thin pair of brown leggings and a simple light blue hoody. He was so pale that Tony felt himself worrying over the boy's health almost instantly, "His lips are nearly blue?"_

_As Tony brought himself to study the rest of the boy he noted the boy's unusual hair. It was chin level in the back tussled in wavy lengths that were either already white or what seemed to be a deep brown gradually turning white. The boy had dark roots he could see but overall the hair seemed to shimmer like silver. _

_The boys face itself was for lack of a better term elf like, or in Tony's terms, "pretty boy like". Oddly enough, the more Tony actually looked at the boy's face the more he began feeling a sense of? Familiarity. As if he had met this 'invisible kid' somewhere before, he didn't know if it was the high cheekbones, pale blue tinted skin, or the dark eyebrows that were raised in utterly frightened shock? _

"_It's the eye's," thought Tony, "where have I seen eye's like that?" _

_Two otherworldly, perfect crystalline teal emeralds shone with a multitude of emotions. And as Tony continued to stare taking a step or two towards the lad the boy's eye's actually gleamed with intelligent expression. _

_It was as Tony took another step in the boy's direction that he finally snapped out of the trance that he seemed to have been in momentarily. Realizing that the boy's hands were clutching a branch like staff with a sickle like shape on the end, as if for dear life._

_Tony decided to speak, "_Hey there? What's your name kid?"

"You can see me?" whispered Jack too shocked to think.

"Well of course I can?" replied Tony, getting concerned.

"You can see me." Jack whispered again his eyes glued to the 'metal man's' face. He felt like crying.

"Yeah. Yeah, I can see you," said Tony.

" You…you can hear me?!" Jack asked not caring if a tear or two fell.

'Uh oh,' thought Tony as he saw a stream of tears fall down the kid's cheek, 'that's not a good sign?'

"Look Kid. What's your name?" queried Tony kindly.

"WHO THE HELL YOU TALKING TO STARK!?" interrupted Mayor Gibbs.

Causing the unnamed boy to jump badly into the air a good foot or two off the ground. Tony rounded on the other man, "What is your problem! Can't you see how startled you made the kid!?"

Mayor Gibbs face was deadly serious as he stared at Tony with a look that was echoed by the Fireman & Chief of Police.

"Mr. Stark, there isn't anyone else here." said the Chief of Police slowly.

"What? There's a boy right there!" Tony pointed at said boy.

"Mr. Stark, there isn't," replied the Chief.

"Yeah there is!" cried Tony getting annoyed.

Jack's mind had briefly gone completely blank, "No one? _No one ever see's me! _No one's seen me in in? _In ages!_ If ever?!" He unknowingly voiced aloud, his body shaking.

The boy's words struck Tony hard, 'What did the kid just say?'

"What do you mean no one see's you? I see you?" asked Tony, turning back to face Jack.

The Police Chief and Mayor Gibbs exchanged concerned looks, "Okay Mr. Stark. How about we go sit inside, get warmed up a bit. Give your teammate _Captain America_ a call? A little more muscle couldn't hurt, right? How about that?"

Tony flat out ignored them. The boy was standing right there! Yet the others clearly could not see him? What did this mean? Who was this invisible kid?

'Is it getting colder or is it just me?' Tony wondered on top of all his other questions as the temperature dropped even more. He looked at the boy's bare feet again.

"What?" sputtered Tony.

_Ice was forming from right under the boy's pale feet and wooden staff. Working its way outwards in all directions, 'It's him!' concluded Tony, in amazement, ' No way. The kid's doing this! The boy didn't even seem to notice any ice was coming from where he stood. He just kept staring at Tony._

"Hey listen, ignore those idiots, kay. Tell me what your name is? Where are you from?_"_

_ Jack was in such a state of shock that he was instinctively starting to shake from all the overwhelming emotions. 'Was this happening? Does he really see me? Am I dreaming?' thought Jack. He tried to respond to the 'Metal Man's' questions, finding himself too much in a state to answer. He felt more tears fall, he hadn't intended for this to be the way things would go. He hadn't planned on crying when finally seen. Truthfully he had given up on it ever happening. _

"Hey. Hey Kid. You okay? Don't worry about the Snow Man thing, really, who doesn't like to make Snow Men right?" came the 'Metal Man's' voice gently.

_ It was really happening. "He see's me. You see me!" Jack repeated looking into the 'Metal Man's' face. Jack couldn't help it, he felt reborn! He was seen! He started laughing over the sobs that his body couldn't contain anymore! Seen! He was at last, Seen!_

Tony was now officially concerned, the _kid_ was going into euphoric hysterics. Tony approached the boy putting his hand on the child's shoulder in what he hoped was a comforting manner.

"Take it easy there. Kay champ. I'm Tony Stark or otherwise known as _Iron Man_. What's your name?"

At Tony's touch Jack froze. He literally froze. Tony quickly drew his hand back, "Geez your ice cold! Aren't you cold? How on earth are you doing that? What are you?!"

"You can touch me? YOU CAN TOUCH ME!" shouted Jack in jubilation.

"Well, I wasn't sure, but by my frostbite fingers looks like it?" said Tony taking a mental note of the kid's smile. He'd never seen a single person look so ecstatic over anything. Tony watched as in answer to his response the boy jumped in the air over his staff!

"What a jump! SERIOUSLY KID! WHO ARE YOU?"

Jack laughed happily, a wide mirthful grin spreading across his face making the boy's elfin features sharpen. His crystal like eyes shining with profound joy!

"Jack! My names Jack!_!"_ he said lips curving into a smirk.

_The sense of familiarity at the boy's smirk was so strong Tony couldn't get handle it for a second. 'That smile! I know this kid's grin? It's like déjà vu or something? Why?' thought Tony._

"Jack?" responded Tony, eyebrow arching.

"That's right. Jack Fr…"

"OKAY MR. STARK THAT DOES IT!" interrupted the voice of Mayor Gibbs, "I didn't call you here to watch you waste my time talking to thin air in a bloody blizzard!"

"Mayor Gibbs, listen despite what you see, I can assure you …," tried Tony.

"We've already called your team members I suggest you get therapy!" shouted the Mayor, turning his back to Tony.

The other two men already making their way back to the exit doors of the Empire State building's roof. It was too cold in their opinion for any of this, nonsense.

"Listen, you prick! The one responsible for the snowy weather is right here!" argued Tony, "Jack help me out here?"

Jack watched the other three men walk away. 'Help?' he thought, cocking his head to the side briefly as he leaned on his staff a bit.

"Why not," he said as he smirked a little, "I do hate being ignored."

That would be the first time Tony Stark realized that the little scared child he had found a moment or two ago, was not everything he had initially appeared as. Yes, in years to come poor Tony Stark would come to conclude that he had befriended this fateful day, "one hell of an unpredictable imp!"

Tony stood in surprise as he watched the boy raise his staff and leap into the air! The boy seemed to float over Tony's head landing a foot or two in front of the mayor. He then leant' his staff ever so slightly forward and next thing Mayor Gibbs knew he was being consumed by snow!

In what seemed a split second where once a Mayor stood, was now a very pissed off Snow Man!

"STARK!" cried the Mayor in panic!

"Geez kid! I asked you to help not freeze the guy!" Tony said rushing to the Mayor's aide, taking in Jack's wicked little grin.

"So I did. Seemed to me he needed to chill out a bit. Now he is," replied Jack happily. He was having a real conversation!

"Chill out! He'll have to be thawed out!"

"Aw. Come on 'Metal Man' you can't tell me it's not funny."

"Funny? Metal Man? Kid he's the Mayor of New York!"

"So?"

"So?! Listen kid you can't just Snow?…Snow ball the guy!"

"YOUR NUTS STARRK! HELLLP!" raved said snow balled Mayor.

Jack started chuckling.

"It's not funny!" cried Tony, "Don't you worry Mayor! I'll get you out with my lasers. Just make sure not to wiggle! Hey! Hey Jack quit laughing!"

Tony revved up his lasers when he saw that Jack was heading towards the buildings ledge, "Hey, hey where do think your going!?"

Jack turned his head back to Tony, "I gotta go for now," he said simply, continuing on his way. Jack needed a chance to regroup a bit.

"What! Hey wait a second there! You can't just! Whoa! KID!" shouted Tony as he watched the boy fling himself off of the building. Tony forgot all about the Mayor, turning the jets on as fast as he could! "Hang on Kid! I'm coming!" cried Tony as he flew over the building's edge himself.

WHOOOSH. A gust of wind blew by him brushing him off center. He whirled to face the object that had breezed by him. His jaw fell for the hundredth time that night, thankful it was still attached. There was the kid flying in sky like he owned it! Tony actually felt a little jealous.

"He's frickin _Peter Pan_!" snapped Tony; "Jarvis get a lock on him!"

"Yes. Sir."

Tony zoomed after Jack! The _Iron Man's_ suit having to exert at least 60% percent of its power just to keep up! The two flyers raced through clouds, dived near buildings, giving the people of New York an aerial show!

As the Kid dove once more towards the ground, Tony felt a suspicion hit him that was confirmed when the Kid spun onto his back to grin up at where Tony still hovered. Jack's emerald eyes filled with smug teasing!

"Bloody, kid's playing with me!" Tony declared huffing.

"Sir. It would seem that Mr. Jack is sending you a message."

"Enhance the visual feed."

Jarvis enhanced Tony's vision of Jack, bringing the boy into a view where he could hear the kid's voice.

"Your it Metal Man!" challenged Jack as he then flew directly towards Tony!

Tony quickly veered out of the way as Jack caused a small whirlwind to put Tony upside down momentarily.

Once regaining equilibrium Tony charged after Jack! Challenge accepted! The two of them went all out! They dived! They did loop de loops, they weaved through the city with Iron Man leaving a trail of flame while Jack left a flurry of snowflakes!

((LIne Break)))

Down below the people of New York could only watch in alarming wonder at what many thought was _Iron Man_ simply doing some sort of extreme flight test? However after about the sixth time Iron Man got too close to a building for comfort citizens started to think maybe the cold was causing the suit to malfunction?

Then the news showed that while _Iron Man _seemed to be engaged in some sort of bizarre flight exercise? The other _Avengers _had gone to investigate the giant _Snow Man_ that had appeared on top of the _Empire State Building._ Much to the people of New York's alarm, who were watching T.V that is, it had become public knowledge of Mayor Gibbs _frosty_ situation. Whose attitude had not improved since he'd been left to his own devices. If anything it had increased to "_Hulk" _like proportions, making the Mayor's overall shouts of Stark's inadequate assistance something akin to the _Exorcist._

Luckily, for the Mayor & the rest of New York, the _Avenger Black Widow & Captain America, _were able to figure a way to free Mayor Gibbs who would only require at least a month's worth of chicken soup before going back into office.

Things were looking salvageable indeed, despite the disturbing weather shift, until the Mayor once more began speaking. Informing the two _Avengers_ of a new piece of information that they had until that point been unaware of.

It seemed that Tony Stark had been seeing invisible imaginary people, and was pursuing one all over the city, currently?

A pursuit that was ending with _Iron Man _having crashed into a _Stark Industries_ build board! Simultaneously, loosing the only evidence he had that he wasn't crazy. Not to mention the one responsible for freezing New York.

"_Jack" said Tony as he watched the boy fly farther away, "Jack what exactly?"_

_-(((**(((((((((((((((((((((((((((Line Break)))))))))))))Ch.1end_

_Disclaimer:_ "_Holy Moly Batman!"_ Wow. Just wow. I am beyond flattered! Never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never has anything I have ever written as fan fiction in my life gotten such a response! At first I was honestly so overwhelmed I couldn't even get myself to type more, afraid of disappointing anyone! Then upon realizing that this is really just for fun I decided that was silly & started writing this Chapter 1. Still I just want to give a HUGE THANK YOU to all of you for favoriting this, following it, acknowledging its existence! It made my whole week!

On a more serious note, I must tell you all that I do in fact work nearly 6 days a week, about eight hours a day. So if you're looking for a story that will update every other day this isn't it. I apologize for this; but with loans to pay back & the cruel bite of reality I just can't help it. However at this time I do intend to finish all my fics no matter how many days, months, & years pass. I just am letting you all know of my circumstances so that you made enjoy the posts I do make but hopefully won't be going crazy the gaps of time in between. To make up for non-daily updates, when I do write I try to write long healthy chapters.

Now I must say a word on my writing, I am honestly not a very good writer, (breaks out the ice-cream), but I love stories. I love reading stories, I love making plot idea for stories, and so I do like trying to tell stories. So, forgive me for all the flaws. And I humbly ask that whatever expectations for this fic, you may all have, that you do everyone a favor… and ...THROW THEM OUT THE WINDOW!

Ultimately, I will not be able to please everyone, even if I wish it. I am telling you this now because as I appreciate & value healthy productive criticism. I do not respect negatives comments like.., "you suck b #$." No one needs that, it's just rude & hurtful.

So please keep this fact in mind, I write this story as a way to build up my own creative energies. I write this story in the hopes that I can share some of my own imagination with someone else! I am writing this for fun & wasting hours of precious time on it, merely in the hopes that I inspire another as someone inspired me. I write mostly for my selfish self.

Well, with that all done & stated let us move onward! I do NOT own the Avengers nor do I own Rise of the Guardians. This fic will NOT BE a complete crossover. I will be making SEVERE changes throughout, that many may not like, so I am warning you now. Also, until my work hours change, I cannot guarantee updates all the time, reality bites. Anyhow, I do own the little original plotline I am creating here & any characters you do not recognize like Rosijen Frost.

All in all this is a fanfic!

AGAIN THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR KINDNESS, PRAISE, and FAVORITING & FOLLOWING! WORDS ALONE CAN'T EXPRESS THE HAPPINESS YOU GAVE ME!

See you in Chapter 2! -Stella Limegood.

P.S. I promise this will be the only time I leave such a large disclaimer. I just wanted to get on the same foot with everybody from the gecko.

P.P.S. Something else to be aware of, I had someone ask a very good question regarding the fey & Rosijen's heritage regarding it's workings. All I can say is, many things will be revealed or explained as the story progresses, so if you send me a question or two I may not answer it only because it might ruin a revealing or important plot moment in the story later on. Just something else I want everyone to be aware of.

P. . I should warn you all…..I am a wordy person! And I have a strange sense of humor! (Gulp.)

Okay. Done now. See you all in Chapter 2!


	4. Chapter 2: I don't know!

Chapter 2**

_Bathed in the early dawn's light the Realm of Asgard, the Realm Eternal glittered with wonder. In complete contrast to the world of Midgard, there were no mysteries here. Not a single flaw was visible from the smallest flower to the highest tower of the palace. All seemed to shine with absolute perfection. It was a beautiful world that much was true. Yet to the man who would one day be it's king, never before had it seemed like such a horrible front._

"_Perhaps? I have been on earth too long?" the man mumbled to himself. He wanted to say more, especially because he knew that his trusted friend Sir Hogun, of the Warriors Three, was secretly watching him from around a corner. Still?_

_He just couldn't though. Thor the Crown Prince of Asgard, also member of the Earth Team the Avengers. Could not deny the awful truths of his home that were just growing more apparent in his heart. No matter how much he wished too. It was just no longer possible._

_Thor breathed in the air of Asgard's sea. He had always enjoyed the fact that the sea was near the palace. He was convinced that the salty air could aide him in clearing his befuddled thoughts when he had to figure things out or just calm the thunder of all the problems he felt inside of him rolling. And Prince Thor had many problems in his life at this moment. _

_He had the problems of being a Prince of Asgard. A title he ironically no longer desired as much as he once had. 'If only you had not lost your self so brother,' his mind wept, 'I would have given you the throne, in my place, maybe?'_

' _You would have once made a decent king had your soul not been so shattered. Now what will become of you?' Thor fists clenched despite the fact he had his arms crossed, a gesture of frustration that was becoming a common occurrence as of late._

_Thinking of Loki, his brother? Yes, despite Loki's wrongs, always still his brother first, was painful for Thor. However, it needed addressing from someone, and no matter the atrocity of his brother's actions. No matter the amount of hatred Loki had directed at him, no matter even the amount of disgust he had given in reverse, he just couldn't do it._

_The fact was simply this. One could not be a brother to another for over 2000 years and just stop._

_One simply was unable._

_Thor's frown deepened, as sadness set in, "even if ones' brother has committed madness," he acknowledged to himself for the hundredth time._

_((Line Break)))_

_The day Thor had brought Loki home to Asgard, had been one of the worst days of Thor's life. _

He could remember the feeling of pain from the stabbing wound his brother had inflicted upon him. Despite the earth medicine, _Sir Bruce _had shared with him. He could still feel the waves of tension coming from his brother as they had approached the Grand Hall, either in anger or distress, Thor would never know for certain?

When once there had been with Loki by his side the feeling of confident strength & support. As they had approached their destination there had been nothing but a taught gaping hole in its place.

It had felt so wrong.

Thor remembered how he kept repeating over and over, "How did it come to this brother? How?"

The simple trek to the Grand Hall had turned into a death march. Time had slowed to a horrible tick that could not have gone fast enough. Thor had been so upset he had nearly broken in tears. When faced with the possibility of a few brief moments with his brother alone, right before they were about to push the Hall Doors open, it had all built to a head inside of Thor.

He found himself unable to do anything save turn and roar in confusion at this _entity_ that was before him with his once beloved brother's face.

"YOU WERE ALWAYS CLEVER! YOU WERE ALWAYS SMART! I ENVIED YOU THAT! HOW COULD YOU BE SO FOOLISH! I ADMIRED YOUR CALM, YOUR WISDOM, AND NOW YOU HAVE STABBED ME! THREATENED ME! TRIED TO KILL ME!? THREATENED FATHER, MOTHER, ALL WE HAVE FOUGHT FOR TOGETHER BROTHER! YOU HAVE MADE YOURSELF AN ENEMY OF US AND FOR WHAT?! FOR WHAT!? TO BE A KING?"

Thor had felt his throat go raw at the last sentence he had been hoarse the next day from shouting so loud. Yet he had continued with his speech gripping his brother so that Loki was pinned hard against a wall and had no other choice then to look straight into Thor's wounded face.

"A King must be willing to put his people above him brother. I did not learn this lesson till father banished me, but I wish I had...I wish I... learned it sooner. Maybe, if I had I could have helped you with whatever it was that led you so far astray?"

He had taken a deep breath before his heart forced him to whisper words he never thought he would have had to say in his life, "Loki, ...Once I revered your counsel above all, even fathers. I never told you out of my jealousy, I regret that. I regret not acknowledging you when I should have. Now though, now you...shame me. You shame me," Thor paused, he had been looking straight into Loki's _crystalline emerald eyes._

Eyes that were filled with an unreadable swirl of emotions, Thor couldn't hope to decipher, which had been too much for Thor to bear.

So the mighty Thor dropped his head, and with one small tiny tear of despair down his cheek into his blond beard, he said the only thing he could, "Brother your _coldness _hasburnt me deeply."

_After that Thor had swiped the sign of stray tears off his face. He had tried to ignore how even after he had let his brother go from his grip, Loki had remained staring at Thor fixedly, his entire body unmoving._

_Thor wondered if Loki had not been wearing the mask over his mouth to keep him from casting magic, what his brother's response would have been to his emotional admission? _

_He wondered even more what his brother would say to him if he chanced a visit with him in his current cell._

_Cell._

"_His punishment for his crimes are our only hope for his atonement," that is what Odin King of Asgard had said to Thor after Loki had been presented before all the land. _

_Thor closed his eyes. He tried to breathe in more of Asgard's sweet sea air. He did not want to think about what had happened after Loki & he had walked into the Grand Hall. Still he found his mind betraying him, and himself replaying the awful memory, of the royal family's disgraceful day._

Upon the doors opening, the Grand Hall went completely still. Not a single Asgardian soul had dared to even breathe as Thor led his shackled brother toward Odin's Throne. All eyes fixed upon the two princes as they slowly walked the length of the Hall, the air had felt thick with melancholy.

Thor recalled how Loki had halted briefly about mid-way down the aisle. He recalled the alarmed quizzical look Loki had given the courtiers and general people of Asgard, even with the mask on his face.

For a brief moment Thor thought he had caught a flash of his brother looking to him for aide but the moment was so brief Thor grunted in disappointment. He had come to the conclusion at the time that his emotions were too clouded, 'If Loki were able to speak, I would be dead by now,' he had told himself.

_Thor breathed another wave of sea salt air as he questioned his own past thoughts, "Then again, brother was always subtle, what if?" He sighed as his thoughts turned back to that rotten day's events._

As the two princes of Asgard approached their ruler Odin, Thor had to basically manhandle his brother into a kneeling position. Loki's shackles hit the ground hard, causing an echo to travel around the hall.

There was a short nod from Odin as two of the Royal guard made their way to stand on either side of where Loki knelt, who had kept a blank expression directed towards the floor.

All had been calm for a moment as the Princes, the two Gods of Asgard knelt before the Allfather. Thor recalled how one could have heard a small thimble fall in the room, due to the anxious quiet, for the waiting of Odin's judgment.

_He wished it had stayed that way._

_The silence had been broken from the Lady Frigga!_

_Who for the first time in all the history of Asgard lost her composure! It was such a shock to everyone there that even Odin as AllFather had a hard time composing himself after her actions. Never had Thor or any Asgardian known his mother had been capable of such a wrath! _

Thor had braced himself to stay witness to his father's anger towards his brother. He had been preparing to see the worst punishment his father could serve be placed upon his brother's shoulders.

But he had never dreamed of what had happened next! Not even when he stole his father's horse, not even, when he had caused war upon Asgard. No matter what Thor had done he never, never, had expected to see the new horrifying sight of what had occurred!

The Lady Frigga who had been sitting stock still upon her gold throne, had tears falling from her eyes. Eyes that for the first time in Thor's life turned so angry he felt frightened. He recalled how his father had turned a second too late to say something to his mother when the Queen slammed her hands down hard upon her thrones armrests! Her eyes grew wild!

Hair Thor had never known his whole life to be misplaced fell wildly out of control, as the Queen practically ran down the steps to where Loki knelt! Thor had drawn in a deep breath of air in trepidation.

The Queen had stopped right before Loki and that was when she began screaming to all Asgard's horror.

"LOOK AT ME! _LOOK _AT _ME!_ LOKI!"

Thor watched as his brother clearly shaken also by their mother's unexpected actions, slowly brought his gaze into the Queen's unrecognizable furious face.

"Rise," she hissed in a tone so cruel Thor gulped alongside everyone in the room.

When Loki hesitated to obey the Queen's whole body quivered with rage, "RISE! RIIIIIIISSSSEE!"

For emphasis of her anger the Queen stomped her foot down hard, her arms had flailed as her hands balled into tight fists.

Loki rose to his feet automatically at his adopted mother's terrible screaming, the minute he did, the Queen struck!

Thor had watched in detached horror as his kind, gentle mother who was known as the Asgardian model for peace? The Gentle Goddess they called her? Struck his brother hard upon the head!

Not caring at all where she hit him or how hard she continued to do so. The second time nearly had knocked Loki to the floor!

Slap. Thump. Slap.

Her screams permanently etched upon Thor's brain, as she half sobbed half raged, "HOW COULD YOU DO THIS!? WHHHY! WHY! DID _I _NOT _FEED_ YOU?! LOKI!? DID_ I_ NOT _NURSE _YOU!? _TUCK YOU IN!_ DID_ I _NOT C_LOTHE_ YOU!? DID _I _DO _NOTHING_ AS A _MOTHER_ FOR YOU?! HOW DARE YOU! HOW DARE YOU LET _ME _THINK _MY SON WAS DEAD!_ (Slap) HOW DARE YOU GO AND BRING SUCH _SHAME _UPON _ME_! ATTACKING MIDGARD! HOW DARE YOU DISMISS ALL_ I_ HAVE DONE FOR YOU! HOW DARE YOU _HURT _US ALL! HOW DARE YOU! ((Slap!)) YOU STUPID BOY!_ I WOULD HAVE CARRIED YOU FROSTGIANT OR NOT, IF I COULD HAVE! _AND THIS IS HOW YOU REWARD _MY _LOVE!? LOKI! DID _I _NOT _CRADLE _YOU IN MY AR_MS AS A BABE_? DID _I _NOT _BATHE _YOU?! DID _I _NOT _TEACH _YOU?! _I_ MAY _NOT _HAVE _BIRTHED_ _YOU _BUT _YOU WERE MY BABY!_ _MIIINNNE!"_

At that point Thor had seen tears unable to be kept back leaking from his brother's startled emerald eyes. Thor himself had watery eyes for the second time in a day, which had been a record breaker.

Thor could not have helped it though out of all the things he expected and dare he say his brother had expected, this event had not been on anyone's list.

The Queen seeming to have ended her screaming then wept openily, her hand raised in the air had halted.

The next time she brought it down, she gently placed it on the part of Loki's exposed red face, "_You are still _my_ baby. You are a criminal now, but_ you _are_ still _mine! Always. Oh my little Loki. Why? Why did you do such terrible things? Whhhyyy?"_

Luckily at that moment, Odin had decided he needed to step in. Placing one hand on the Queen's sobbing shoulder in a historic show of comfort. Thor watched as his father quickly called an escort and had the Queen sent to her bedchamber to rest.

_A place, Thor mused as he watched the dawn light glimmer across the water's surface, where his mother had resided for almost the entirety of six Midgardian months. Only emerging for meals or if Odin himself called upon her, such was his mother's pain over Loki's situation._

_That the Queen had locked herself away in her rooms creating her own Cell, perhaps because as Loki's foster mother she saw Loki's wrong as only reactions of her own failure. Thor had tried four months ago to convince his mother that his brother's actions were his own, but the Queen had merely looked away from her other son whispering, "You don't understand. This never should have come to pass."_

_Thor sighed, after that he had resigned not to argue with his mother and allow the Queen time to grieve. _

_((Line Break))_

_Thor then recalled how everyone who had been present for Loki's presentation after his mother's emotional breakdown had looks of complete uncertainty._

_Not since the early beginnings of Asgard had such a drama unfolded in the royal family, before the people. It was one of the first things Thor had realized abstractly that gave way to a clue to one of the many flaws of Asgard that he was currently busy pondering amongst his thoughts now as he breathed more sea air in._

_The sad truth was that the people of Asgard, no Asgard itself, had become stagnate. It was a world stuck in its ways. A world that lacked the possibilities for progress. A world that was ironically just as frozen as the Icy world of Jotunheim, 'only with sunshine and better plumbing' Thor added sarcastically._

" _Lord Stark is rubbing off on me," Thor then mused._

_Speaking of Stark, there was a whole other basket of problems waiting for Thor back on the little blue star of his friend's home world._

_The biggest one being Stark himself. _

_Who ever since about two weeks ago when a strange incident apparently occurred on Midgard that was stranger then ( all Midgardians agreed) normal, had become obsessed with finding an "invisible boy named Jack?"_

_((Line Break))_

_Thor's memory drifted to just four days ago when he had last been with his fellow "Avengers"._

They were having another "_Ree-vu-you meeting_", a new Midgardian term Thor was becoming fast familiar with. Where once again the latest incidents the _Avenger Team_ still hadn't fully finished with or understood was to be discussed.

_Nick_ son of _Fury_ the head director of _Shield_, was sitting at the head of the table. The window behind him giving his steadfast sihoulette a nice majestic background thanks to the city, "_York of New's"_ skyline.

Fury's stoic presence was causing everyone to fidget a little in his or her seats.

Thor himself couldn't help but make brief comparisons with Fury towards his Father mildly. Wondering to himself, as he tasted the strange thing called _hot cho-co-late_, if loosing an eye just gave someone some sort of unspoken authoritative power?

He didn't want to poke his eye to find out, but decided that should he loose an eye in honorable battle at least he knew there would be compensation.

"Alright folks, now that were all here, I want some answers," ordered Fury getting to business, "Why the H. E. Double Hockey Sticks is this city an Ice Box in early August!"

Thor had no idea what "_Hockey Sticks" _were, however the tone of Fury's voice indicated something bad? Nor was he certain he understood all that was being implied with the words "_Ice Box" _but he felt it fair to say that Fury was annoyed by the cold weather surrounding the area as of late?

There was a s_ound_ of a response coming from the direct other end of the table to answer Fury's question but it was snuffed out by a well-placed kick, courtesy of_ Natasha _daughter_ of Romanoff_.

Fury's good eye swiveled around the room, "Well, it would seem that none of you have anything to say? Fine. Let's review."

Another odd _sound_ tried to make its escape at the opposite end of the table but this time _Steve son of Rogers also called Captain America_ found it to be a perfect time to practice stretching his arms.

Knocking said _sound_ practically out of its chair, "Whoops sorry Tony, "said Steve softly.

To Thor's observation Steve son of Roger's apology was unaccepted.

Fury abruptly stood out of his chair bringing a "_magical"_ image to life on a few of the glass windows behind him. Displaying photos of the city from the past two weeks.

Thor grew instantly concerned as he saw pictures of Midgardian citizens being covered in _snow! _"Allfather," said Thor as his gaze went from a Midgardian woman standing in a blizzard to the giant _Ice Thing _on top of what Thor knew was one of the tallest buildings nearby.

'_The Frost giants!' cried Thor's panicked mind._

"As you all can see, ten days ago, this city was hit by an unexpected blizzard, in the middle of August! It caused multiple traffic jams, mass hysteria and lots of colds. Now, we know that this blizzard was made by unnatural means. You may ask yourselves how we know this? It's simple folks, if I say so myself, that's one heck of a _Snow Man_ on the _Empire State Building,_" declared Fury pointing at the _Ice Thing_, in the picture.

"What is this 'Man of Snow?'" asked Thor quickly, desperately trying to understand. '_If the Frost giants are here it may mean war for Asgard! ' he thought._

Everyone in the room stared at Thor. There was a collective mindset of, "_Poor Thor," _making its way around the room. This caused Thor to become even more confused?

"Please I must know? I do not understand. Ice is nothing to trifle with," Thor continued.

"You don't know what a _Snow Man is?_" asked the Lady Natasha, with wide eyes. Secretly, out of all the things of her Russian history, one of the few things she had ever enjoyed from childhood, brief as it was, had been making Snow Men.

"Seriously that's kinda sad, " came the calm voice from the opposite seat of Thor's. _Bruce Banner_ aka _The Hulk_ was looking at Thor with a frown upon his face, his eyes held pity in them.

That secretly pissed Thor off, he hated when his Midgardian friends did that. After all he had lived many, many years before them, it wasn't as if he was stupid. He simply had a lot to catch up too when it came to Midgardian ways of life. There was no need for pity.

"Someone please explain!" demanded Thor.

The "_Voice_" or "_Sound"_ that kept trying to be heard in the room, tried yet again, "Thor! Buddy! A snow man...is..."

Nick son of Fury cut it off. This was followed by a glare of hostility from said "_Voice_."

"Is a Midgardian game we play during our "_winter seasons"_. Often as children when it snows we will make _Snow Men_ for fun & decoration. A snow man is usually intended to help herald in the joys of our winter holidays, and also it is considered one of the universal _winter games_ of our world," explained Fury smoothly, "I take it Asgard does not have such a tradition?"

_Thor remembered how utterly bewildered he had felt at that moment. A long time ago, when Loki & he had come to Midgard years before, winter was something that was still dreaded by many Midgardians who could recall the one time attack made by the Frost Giants. Now with the Frost Giants gone and the Midgardians left to their own devices they had developed winter games? They held winter holidays? _

_In Asgard they're was nothing more feared then snow & ice! The two were only associated with death and hardship. How was it that his friends were now talking animatedly about the "joys of winter?"_

"When I was little we use to stay up all night waiting for Santa Clause!" said Steve.

"_Santa Claws?" queried Thor his alarm growing? Who was this Claws of Santa?_

"I use to go sledding for hours until my lips turned blue! Mom was so mad, she use to tell me she'd have to cook me in the oven, to get me back to normal again!" shared Bruce.

"_Sled-ying? Oven? Your mother tried to cook you?"_

"We would make Snow Men in our yard, because of our location we always had plenty of coal to give them lots of silly faces."

"My friends and I had the best _Snow Ball_ fights!" commented Barton.

"_Snow Ball fights?" Thor found himself in a state of shock._

"My cousin's sister use to have us help decorate the tree!"

"Pepper loves watching _Snow Flakes_."

"Ice Skating is still really relaxing," Natasha murmured softly.

"_What is Ice Cake-ting? Is winter no longer dangerous here? How has this come to pass?!" Thor asked his voice a bit panicked._

_He could not believe it! He now had a hundred more questions!?_

'_For how long had the Midgardians become so well-acquainted with living in winter time that they could share fond memories?' he wondered._

_How could so much change in only about three hundred or so years since Thor's last journey upon Midgard?_

_Thor felt another seed of doubt towards his home world's advance placement in the universe upon this new information. _

Thor was about to demand some explanations when Fury's voice took over.

"Okay people! Okay, enough with memory lain! Thor you can ask your questions later! Right now we still have a situation on our hands," declared Fury, still standing stiffly, arms behind his back, "Winter is fine in the winter months but this folks?" He said gesturing madly at the cold city outside, "This is a serious situation? Now were sure it isn't Dr. Doom. Seeing how he is still locked up so what am I lookin at? Report."

"Well...sir," began Bruce Banner, "the good news is that there were no substances found in the snow samples back at the Lab that showed anything other then what it's suppose to be."

"So it really is just ice," Fury stated to the room at large, "Is there any evidence that suggests this is some sort of predetermined attack or warning?"

"As far as we could tell sir, there wasn't anything of the kind, just the strange weather and that huge _Snow Man_," replied Steve.

A small _sound _of frustration was made in the back of the room.

Fury sighed, "Come on people, three of you were present when "_Frosty" _appeared? We need as many facts as there … Is there something you would like to say Mr. Stark?"

Thor had watched as his good friend Lord Stark, jumped to his feet, slamming his hands upon the table.

"Darn straight, there is!" cried Tony victoriously, " I know _who _is responsible for the _snow_!"

For a moment everyone just stared at Stark's bold declaration. Thor noted how both Lady Natasha and Lord Steve shared a look of concern, causing Thor to wonder?

"This is good news. Who is our new foe?" inquired Thor of his friend Stark. His very irritated friend who seemed to have noticed the exchange between their other two fellow _Avengers_.

"Yes. Tell us all just _who _made the snow," ordered Fury sternly.

There was muttering from Lord Steve on Tony's right, "Umm. Tony listen I don't think…"

"Can it Captain!" snapped Tony, "Listen what I'm going to say sounds crazy! But you have to believe me! It's the absolute truth! I swear."

"You have the floor Stark," responded Fury, sitting back down in his chair.

Thor leaned back in his own chair a little, crossing his arms. He was surprised at how Lord Stark seemed very nervous? It was a trait he had never really seen the mortal with before? 'Curious,' Thor had thought.

"Right, okay. Well first thing you need to know is I'm pretty positive _he's _not our enemy," began Stark, who was starting to pace around the room a little bit, "in fact I've been thinking it over the last few days and I'm positive the whole _Snow Man_ thing was really just a cry for attention, seeing how _young_ he is? Or I think _he _is?"

"You think?" came Fury's voice, his eyebrow raised above his one good skeptical eye, "and does this he have a name?"

"_Jack," _said Tony, his pacing stopped as he looked at the room at large, his eyes landing on Thor's for a moment.

_Thor reflected how the minute Lord Stark had said the name "Jack" Thor had felt something. Like a small whisper towards his mind, he found himself being drawn to look out the large windows that surrounded the room. _

_Snow, light snow was falling outside._

_A strange feeling crept upon Thor,_ "why do you say young?"

"Yeah. I'd like to know that too?" seconded Banner, who had one hand under his chin in thought.

Lord Stark began speaking again, "Well, he only _physically _looked to be about _fifteen_, but I'm honestly not sure. Something about him was too…" Stark stumbled for words, "Look it doesn't' matter, I'm telling you _Jack's _just a kid! Okay, I have no idea what _kind_ of a kid, but he's definitely a kid! A kid who controls the weather, can fly, and create snow!" Stark folded his arms across his chest daring all the world to object and then added, "Oh, and it's kind of my fault he froze Mayor Gibbs, I asked him to help me out and _Jack's _idea of help is to _freeze_ people."

The room was silent.

Lord Banner's face kept shifting between a frown and a smile.

Lady Natasha had her face in her hands, her head shaking negatively, she could be heard muttering, "Tony. Tony. Tony."

Lord Steve looked embarrassed for Lord Stark, his face had turned as red as Thor's cape. _Steve shifted uneasily in his chair, thinking of his girlfriend's comments regarding, his teammates existing sanity._

Lord Barton was just staring, sneaking glances between Fury and Stark.

Speaking of Lord Fury, Thor turned to look at him, the man could have passed as Heimdalls' little brother, his one eye giving away nothing as it was locked onto Lord Stark's disgruntlement.

"Ugh. Guys! I'm serious! Out there in the world somewhere is a kid named J_ack_ who for all I know flew off to _Never Never land!"_ shouted Stark arm stretched out towards the windows.

"_What land?" asked Thor confused again. He was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that a "Midgardian child" or "mortal" was able to fly! If what Lord Stark said was true, the Allfather had to be told._

_Flying in Asgard, was considered an old sacred gift given only to those who were blessed by "Yggdrasil's light", or in Midgardian terms, "ones whose hearts were pure in nature." It was amongst the highest of signs for what Asgardians had been raised to look for when seeking aide from other beings than themselves. For if a being held the power of flight it was believed that their soul was light incarnate and that they were created to bring forth wonderful things. It was believed that such a being was lucky to befriend, and that any such being held great importance in the universe._

_Thor had in the past prided himself on this reverence for the gift of flight. It had been part of why the people of Asgard ever since he had flown with his hammer had admired him so._

_In seeing their eldest prince fly they had thought Thor would bring the Realm of Asgard greatness._

_Thor wasn't sure if his "gift" had counted however, for without the "magical" qualities of Mjolnir he really couldn't fly at all. He was terrible at magic, and not even his brother Loki had been able to master flight. _

_Thor could still hear Loki's voice in his head saying in a tavern one night, "It's nearly impossible brother. Even the oldest of masters cannot fly. Why even in the scripts it states only the most ancient of races was blessed with the gift of flight, and that finding any of them is extremely improbable."_

_Thor wondered? 'Improbable?' his brother had said, but still indeed possible?_

"STARK. Are you seriously telling me that a _fifteen_ year old boy," demanded Fury interrupting Thor's deep thoughts, "flew into this city, _froze _it, and flew out?"

"Yes! I know how it sounds! But..," said Tony unable to finish.

"But nothing!" interrupted Fury, who sighed heavily, "Okay, if this is true Stark, where is your evidence? What can I use to help find this? This..."

"Imaginary Friend," grumbled Lady Natasha.

Fury gave Natasha a look that said, '_Knock it off,' _before finishing his sentence with the word, "Kid."

"Ah. Well. See that's just it isn't it," began Stark who took to pacing around the room again, "_Jack _kinda pulled a Houdini."

"Come again?" gritted Fury.

A long drawn out sigh was heard from Steve Rogers, "Tony maybe you should stop beating around the bush."

_The image of Lord Stark physically beating a bush seemed completely out of place? Thor decided enough was enough._

_So he leaned over and asked Banner quietly_, "What does Lord Steve mean by "_beating around a bush?"_

For a second Sir Banner didn't say anything, for he was too engrossed in the muted war going on between Lord Stark and friend Steve, "What? Oh, it's just an expression, it mean's that Tony's not telling us the entire truth."

"Ah," nodded Thor, smiling, he thought, '_Finally a question answered.'_

A split second later Thor couldn't help but ask aloud, "What does beating a bush have to do with truth?"

He found himself ignored.

"What's the problem Stark?" demanded Fury whose patience was all but extinguished, as he rose from the table to stand once more.

Thor watched as his friend Stark looked around the room, he was reminding Thor of _his friend Sir Fandral_ whenever he was caught in an uncomfortable situation.

Lord Stark kept opening his mouth and closing it, Thor had never known Stark for being one who didn't have a handle on words? In fact Lord Stark was one of the few beings in the universe that Thor had suspected could even rival Loki when it came to using language. So to see the mortal looking lost and without anything to say was a bit alarming?

"Lord Stark, perhaps it would be best if you just say all you wish to say directly," counseled Thor.

"Indeed," added Fury, his good eye twitching.

Lord Stark glanced at the room again and lifted his hands in the air, exasperated, "What the hell. Okay look I have know idea how the kid did it, but for some reason when I tried to bring up the pictures of him that Jarvis took, on the suit's back up visual scanner. The kid doesn't show. He just isn't there!"

"What do you mean?" asked Banner, "how is that possible?"

"I DON'T KNOW!" cried Stark, " I even tried to reboot Jarvis's whole system, and no matter what I do the kid doesn't appear!"

"So. You have no visual evidence." stated Fury displeased.

"No. Yes. Maybe I did? Look I saw the kid Fury! I spoke to him!" Stark was now fully animated, his arms waving dramatically.

"What about you two?" asked Lord Barton, of Lady Natasha & Lord Steve, who had wisely in Thor's opinion stayed silent up until now.

Natasha and Steve shared a look before Lord Steve spoke, "Unfortunately, by the time we arrived, we had to assist Mayor Gibbs, who claimed that he saw no one besides him, the chief of Police, the Head of the Firefighter Department and _Iron Man."_

Thor decided that Fury had been most appropriately named after Lord Steve's announcement.

"EXPLAIN STARK," barked Fury.

"HEY! I WANT TO OKAY! BUT FOR ONCE IN MY WHOLE LIFE I DON'T HAVE AN ANSWER!"

"Really?"

"Look! _Jack _mumbled something about _no one_ seeing him and I quote, '_in ages'_, whatever that means!"

"So let me get this straight you are telling me this 'magical fifteen year old boy' who froze New York City? WAS only and very possibly MAY only be seen by you? Is that what your telling me Stark?"

"Is there an echo in here?! I told you I don't know! I've been racking my brains trying to gather visual evidence, but the kid doesn't come up! At this point I don't know what to think!"

Thor could hear the desperation in his friend's voice? Lord Stark truly believed he had encountered this so called _Jack?_

_ "_Tony," said Lord Banner, "are you sure that maybe the cold didn't just get to you?"

Lord Stark's face turned livid! "I'm not making this up! Look I _touched_ the kid's shoulder and _my _fingers practically _froze_ off! I chased him all across the city and landed in a billboard!"

_A chuckle escaped Lord Barton's lips at the memory, followed by Natasha's smirk, soon the whole room was lit with a twinge of amusement. It had been a day to remember when the morning after the Snow Man appeared Tony Stark had to be rescued from his own billboard._

"I'm serious! The boy's real! _Jack's real! _He's out there!" shouted Stark, annoyed beyond belief!

"WHAT DOES THIS CHILD LOOK LIKE?" boomed Thor seriously, ending the jovial atmosphere of the other members.

_Thor had developed a headache with all the growing knots of concern from his friend's tale. Upon which the minute Stark had uttered touch and froze in the same sentence, Thor's headache had blossomed, 'How could a Frost Giant's offspring get here? For what purpose do the Giant's come to Midgard? They have no mode of travel any longer? Father made certain of that? Did he not?'_

"What color was this Jack's skin? His eyes were they red?" demanded Thor as he stood up from his chair swiftly, so that he could face Stark in the eyes. He ignored the sound of his name being said by Fury, Stark's answer would mean everything!

_Everyone watched as Tony Stark began describing this mysterious Jack. A tone in his voice that up till now none of them had heard before from the famous billionaire? It held a soft wonder to it, followed by an almost parental concern,_

"_He was pale. Very pale, I actually thought the kid was sick at first. His skin was so white it almost looked tinted blue. Speaking of blue that's what he wore, a blue hoody and brown pants. He had no shoes on. Nothing on his feet. His hair was white in many places but dark in others. He was thin, kinda like a scarecrow actually?"_

_Lord Stark took a moment to catch his breath, and looked out the window, watching the snowfall._

"_He was frightened when I saw him. He looked at me with an expression I've never seen anyone give, like, like I really was the first person to ever see him. In fact that's the first thing he said to me, "You can see me!" He kept repeating those words over and over, like he couldn't believe it either? That's why I touched him I tried to give the kid some comfort you know a pat on the shoulder. I've never seen anyone like this Jack before but whenever I think about the kid it's like I have but I can't place him?"_

"His eyes? What color was this _Jacks _eyes? Red?" asked Thor.

"_No," said Stark whose gaze was still fixed on the falling snow, "they were green maybe blue in a different light? Teal. I remember thinking they were like crystals, because of how bright they were. I wish the kid hadn't flown away."_

_Thor took a step back, he had forgotten about the fact that this Jack could fly? Frost giants could not fly. Even if they possessed the possibility through magic, they lacked the skill that the mastery of magic required. Not to mention this so called boy's features, "pale skin, green eyes" Thor's mind briefly went to his brother but his mind moved on. _

Thor sighed in relief, "Thank the Stars. It seems that this _Jack_ then is not a _Frost Giant_."

"Frost Giant?" asked Stark curiously, "What's a Frost Giant?"

"They are the beings of the world known as Jotunheim. Old enemies of Asgard with the powers of ice and snow at their constant disposal, they are an ancient race in the universe but an uncivilized one in many ways. For years Asgard was at war with them _once _even here on Midgard for a battle for '_suspicious' _reasons, but they lost to my Father's glorious might." Thor mused on that a bit before continuing, the truth being that not even Odin knew why the Giants had invaded Midgard, "They are known by their blue skin, giant bodies, and red eyes. If one touches their skin they are burned by their "ice fire"."

"Frost burn by handshake? Not cool," said Lord Stark with a faraway look in his eye, as he stared at his hand.

"Yes. In fact that is how my brother Loki discovered…."Thor never got to finish his sentence due to Fury's interruption.

"Are these Giants, a threat to the Earth?" questioned Fury.

"No they have no means of travel, unlike Asgard." Replied Thor.

"Right well, just in case I would like you to share all information you have on these so called Frost Giant's with _Captain America_. Maybe they found a way to reach Earth without Asgard's knowledge?" ordered Fury.

Thor bristled to retort, but Stark beat him to it!

"Hold on a sec?! Shouldn't you be asking everyone here to go searching for _Jack? _He's the one were looking for? Not these _Frost Giants!"_

Fury glared at Stark, "No. I don't think so. In fact I think you need some time off, for awhile."

"Time off?!" said Stark indignant, "_Peter Pan's _freezing citiesand you want me to lay on the sofa? Eat bon bons!?"

Fury stood up walked around to Lord Stark, and very calmly put his hand on the shocked billionaire's shoulder, "Tony. It's never a good sign when people start seeing invisible things. True or not, you will take time off. We do not need you getting any crazier."

Stark's mouth hung open. His face as blank as one of _Volstagg's dinner plates_.

_After that the meeting had basically ended with Fury giving out orders for everyone save Stark who sat dumbfounded in his chair, mumbling to himself the word, "proof" repetitively. _

_Thor then shared as much knowledge as he could about the average Frost Giant with Lord Steve before he himself went to retire for the day._

_Only to feel his arm grabbed by Stark near the thing called an 'Elevator', "Thor buddy! Wait a second, what was it you were going to say about your brother Loki and Frost Giants?"_

_Thor had been too tired by that point to brush off Stark's determination so he simply told the truth, "My brother is a Frost Giant."_

"_Reindeer Games is a Giant Ice Man?" a strange look spread across Stark's face._

"_Yes well, have a care Lord Stark, for he is still my adopted brother, " replied Thor wearily._

"_Right. Sure Thor, catch up with ya later," and Lord Stark swiftly walked away._

_((Line Break)) _

_Thor breathed in the sea's thick air. Four days ago had that meeting taken place, and since then Stark obsession over this so-called Jack had only grown. To the Lady Pepper's horror Lord Stark had begun to live like his mother Queen Frigga trapped in his workrooms. _

_The difference being that one person was acting out of sorrow while the other was seeking answers? Thor shook his head, his friend had even asked Thor to search Asgard for any clues in what kind of a creature this invisible boy could be. _

_Thor brought his hand to his face to rub his eyes, as he mentally listed the problems he faced: He no longer wanted to rule Asgard. He was torn by his love for Jane and his love for duty. He was worried about his mother's growing distance with all things. He feared his father's weariness as ruler. He wept for his once beloved brother who now resided in a cell as a broken man with nothing but dead eyes. He feared for Midgard and this unknown source of winter upon it? He feared for Asgard's future. He feared for Stark's sanity? He feared for his family. He feared too much._

_So he was relieved when the voice of his father spoke behind him distracting him from his fears, "My son. I see you are hear gazing at the sea again?"_

"_It helps me focus," replied Thor, turning to his father._

"_Ah. Well, you will have plenty of time to focus later, my son. Now I have dire need of you," said Odin standing in all of his battle armor._

"_Father?" Thor asked baffled at his Father's battle ready appearance._

"_We must journey to Jotunheim my son," answered Odin._

"_Jotunheim?"_

_Odin looked old suddenly, "Something is happening."_

_Thor waited for his Father to continue, for if the Allfather wanted Thor to know something he would share it with him, at his own pace. Sure enough Odin spoke again, "The Jotuns are gathering in masses."_

_Thor felt his palm grow sweaty, a chill forming in his spine, "The Frost Giants have not gathered for over 5000 years?"_

"_They are gathering now," said Odin firmly, "They have sent a begging plea to Asgard. They are seeking aide."_

_Thor gasped! Jotunheim seeking the help of Asgard? It was unheard of! "Why in all the Realms do the Frost Giant's seek our aide?"_

_Odin took a deep sullen breath, before he turned his face away from his son, his eyes full of regret._

"_I have made a grave error Thor. One that may lead to the death of us all."_

"_Father?"_

_Odin did not speak again however, instead he merely beckoned Thor to follow and together they made their way to Heimdall's repaired Gateway called the Bifrost._

_On the way to Jotunheim Thor found himself repeating once more the same thoughts he had the day he had brought Loki back to Asgard six Midgardian months prior._

"_How did it come to this?"_

_(((Disclaimer))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) )))))__)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))_

_So. Finally Chapter 2! As always I do not own the Avengers or Rise of the Guardians. Therefore anything you recognize forget it! It's not mine! I only own unique characters like Rosijen Frost! Any who this is written simply for fun! _

_I'd like to give a HUGE HUG to all those who have favorite, followed, and reviewed this fic! I am truly touched! And again I would just like to remind everyone that I work quite a lot and I am a slow poor writer so updates must be viewed as special treats and not daily tidbits. To make up for this I will try to write long chapters!_

_Now speaking of chapters I realize this one may be confusing, if not also a bit dark in some spots. I apologize for the confusion. I also just want to say this fic will have dark moments in it. So brace yourselves it's going to be a bumpy ride! _

_Anyway I honestly found this chapter a bit difficult to write on multiple levels for many reasons._

_Still here it is! I won't be doing as in depth a disclaimer as last time!_

_Though I will say: You are suppose to enjoy the irony that Thor almost, almost made it to connecting the dots and then utterly failed. Sigh poor Thor. _

_Anyhow, I shall now start typing Chapter 3! _

_Again, I'm a bit of a lousy writer, positive feedback is welcome! Though I apologize if I don't respond right away! Here's to all you wonderful people! -Stella L._

_P.S. Questions will rise & fall as the story progresses, have fun with theories, but to get answers you will simply have to read on. I do not wish to spoil anything, so please just enjoy the ride! So to speak!_


	5. Chapter 3: It wasn't a child

Translations for quotes in other languages besides English are located at the bottom of the chapter in numerical order. I recommend reading the chapter all the way through first perhaps for the greater effect of suspense. Although the choice ultimately is up to you the reader, either way should be okay. With or without the translations I believe the overall sense I'm shooting for is maintained.

At least I hope so? Gulp.

Chapter 3***

Somewhere down deep within the Ice Cap of Greenland, a young geologist named Jackson Timmons was on a quest. A quest that involved the exploration of some of the worlds' most dangerous ice caves.

At his side was the lovely Laura Goldstein, whose blonde hair and blue eyes were known to be able to charm a man with just one accurately placed blink. Jackson Timmons was no exception to this, in fact he had fallen in love with sweet Laura the minute she had said the word 'rock' which when it came to geologists was pretty much the first moment he had laid eyes on her.

Speaking of having his eyes on her, Jackson couldn't believe he had not wanted Laura to come? What had he been thinking? Up till the time they had arrived in Greenland Laura and he had fought like cats & dogs, about her attendance.

"It's too dangerous Laura," he had said.

"Jackson Timmons! I have been studying ice formations my entire college career and this is my first chance for a real expedition! You will not keep me from coming!" she had argued back.

"Laura, do you even know how to use spelunking equipment with ice?" he had been foolish enough to say.

Her reply having been nothing but a solemn stare had cleared that question up very quickly.

Now in the present they were both fully engaged in the wonders of the Ice! It's ridges and rims telling them the ancient secrets of the Earth gone by.

Not to mention the wonderful view Jackson was getting from below Laura as he watched her make her way down after him to this new level of the ice. A level that he had measured to be well past 700 ft below the earth's surface and still they could go further down. He couldn't believe that not another scientist had come to this area? It was a geologist's dream come true, new undiscovered territory. A rarity in modern times!

He felt a wave of excitement course threw him, for all he knew, he and Laura could find gold, in here. A dinosaur's skeleton or how about another frozen mammoth? They'd be set for life and he could marry her right on the spot!

He grinned at the idea thinking they could even use the mammoth as the centerpiece behind the altar. Laura could wear gold earrings. It would be wonderful! The tricky part would just be getting the locals to allow them to do it.

For reasons he couldn't understand the locals had tried their best to steer the two Americans away from their destination. Going as far as poking holes in the tires of their vehicle, to vandalizing their equipment and even begging. The begging had been particularly frightening.

Jackson could still here the sound of Laura opening the door just yesterday, to a little old woman bundled in cloths, who kept repeating the words,

"_Pas på den__forbandede__sted, hvor__Madness__hviler__. __Forstyr ikke__det."1._

Whatever it was the old woman had been tyring to say, had been sadly lost upon both Laura & Jackson, for neither of them had taken the time to become fluent in Danish before starting their trip.

Thus, the little old woman of Thule descent had found herself politely ignored, her parting words to Laura being, _"__Den__forbandede__løgn__der.__Venligst__agt__mig.__Jeg frygter for__dig." 2._

Then as if things couldn't have gotten more uncomfortable, early this morning nearly the whole little village had been standing in the road blockading it. They had been shouting words violently at them, arms waving, some had even pressed their palms right on the car windows glass, "_Må ikke__gå!__Dumme__amerikanere__lytter til__os!_

_Den mørke__ene__hviler__der!_

_Hvis du vågner__hende, at hun__vil tage dig__! 3._

_Du__vil ikke vende tilbage__!_ _Madness__ligger__der. 4.__Madness__skal sove__!_

_Kun__døden__går__der.__Døden__! Amerikanere! Doden!"5._

Luckily, Jackson's friend Gerald Dean, who was their resource manager had been able to convince the local police to clear the area, allowing the two geologists to continue their expedition without any more trouble.

Thus Jackson Timmons found himself counting his blessings for good old Gerald Dean. Still he couldn't help wondering if Laura like him was curious as to why the locals had even wanted to prevent them from coming here?

It was true the icy cavern had been filled with unexpected twists and risky climbs, but these things were commonplace no matter what cave a person went to, even without ice. No what was mysterious was that some ice formations had looked dare he say structural? As if there had been "_colossal human"_ built paths once?

'Almost like large walkways & broken staircases _made _out of the _ice_?' Jackson mused to himself internally as he heard Laura finally land beside him.

"Oh! Jackson! Can you believe were here? I don't know about you but I couldn't help but notice how much s_ulfur_ is embedded into these walls. Do you know what that might mean?" shared Laura enthusiastically, her blue eyes wide with joy.

Jackson smiled at her observation, he had noticed, "It may mean that we could have found an extinct volcano buried here beneath the ice."

"Exactly! Oh, just imagine if on our very first expedition we find a volcano Jackie! Think of the amount of research we could get, the funding from the national museum," Laura prattled on as she began to poke and prod the icy walls reaching into her sack about her waist for a plastic bag.

If there was one thing Laura loved it was gathering samples.

Jackson often imagined that without her samples Laura would cease to function at all. He was sure of this because when they had tried to board the plane to Greenland, Laura had caused the monitor in the airport to beep so much that the airport staff had basically asked her to strip. Before she was finally allowed to press onwards, much to her annoyance.

It had been extremely funny to Jackson at the time, but when he started finding sand samples tucked in odd spots in his luggage also? His amusement had begun to get a little thin.

He watched Laura for a few more minutes dig out some shards of ice with sulfur bits before he turned to study the icy surfaces around them himself.

_The cavern was truly enormous, 700ft below the crust of the earth with multiple layers of ice jutting out like broken staircases leading all the way down into a deep abyss that appeared to stretch on forever to the planet's core._

Marveling at their location he walked just a little ways further down the ledge they were on when something caught his eye?

Jackson tried squinting, "What's that?"

"What's what?" said Laura behind him.

"That?" he said, as he whipped out his flashlight to shine it on the object a few feet away.

The light from the flashlight glittered off the dark walls of the cavern, the frozen ice displaying an array of colors that sparkled, the way the sea sparkles under the sun's rays.

It was gorgeous until Jackson began noticing a sort of dark "_vein"_ like texture that was frozen throughout all the ice coming from the lower abyss beneath them?

Briefly forgetting the small red gleaming objects he had seen in the dark across from them, a second ago, he studied the strange "_veins"_? Thick black _vines_ of sand, sulfur, maybe, wove their way through the ice almost like _roots_ of some kind.

"Hey Laura? Have you ever heard of a plant that grows out of ice?" voiced Jackson, he was getting goose bumps.

He hadn't gotten goose bumps since he was eight and believed the _Boogey Man_ lurked in his closet.

"Well, there are a few types of plants out there that grow very well in a tundraesque climate, but this far down? Perhaps their prehistoric?" commented Laura now looking at the "_veins_" as well.

Her hand coming to the one closest in an attempt to touch it.

A shudder passed through Jackson.

He didn't know why he kept referring to these _vine_ like _roots_ breaking the natural layers of the ice up as "_veins_" but for some reason he couldn't shake the word.

There was just something very "_vein like_" about them.

They even looked like they could be pumping _blood_.

All of a sudden he felt a nervous prickling tension start in his stomach, if he had not been a man of science perhaps he would have recognized this instinctual reaction for what it was.

Instead, Jackson kept gazing around the cavern until he saw the two gleaming red objects again. This time they looked distinctly closer, the tension in his stomach tightened.

The cavern that had looked so marvelous minutes ago, began to feel too enclosed. All his life he had never understood people who suffered from claustrophobia but now something deep within him combined with the increasing goose bumps on his arms was telling him to start climbing back up the mile they had climbed down.

"Laura," he found himself whispering. Why was he whispering?

"Oh. Jackson I can't believe we're actually here?! Judging by these markings I just found, why Jackson we could have stumbled upon a serious historical goldmine!" Laura kept rambling happily as she began walking further down the ledge jumping onto another platform a little lower then the one Jackson was still standing on.

This place was amazing!

"Laura," Jackson whispered again, those _red _objects were getting closer. Was it just him or were the "_veins_" around them in the ice moving?

"Really, Jackie this time tomorrow we could end up on National T.V," continued Laura not noticing how the ledge beneath her feet was beginning to crack slightly as dark _roots _twisted their way into the ledge under her.

"Laura, Laura I…I…think we should finish for today," said Jackson his eyes locked onto the two now _blood red orbs_ that were directly across from him. He felt an unknown _terror _seep into him, through the layers of his snowsuit.

"What? Jackie you can't be serious? We've only just started," Laura asked in shock.

The ledge beneath her was now filled with dark _roots _that were twisting their way deep within the ice under her toes. Cracks began to grow larger all along the trails the _roots_ had made into Laura's ledge.

A small amount of steam rose out of the cracks.

Ice began to drip.

"Laura don't argue. I know it's crazy, but trust me something's wrong," cried Jackson, still gazing as those unmoving _glowing_ _orbs._

"Your darn right something's wrong," Laura yelled, stomping her foot in added frustration.

CRACK.

Jackson spun around!

"LAURA!" he screamed in fright!

Laura was stunned! She had no idea what she was looking at? Nearly the entire icy ledge beneath her feet was now covered in dark _roots _that were writhing like slow snakes. They weaved in and out of the ice all around her, she felt herself grow cold. The_ vines _were breaking the ice.

"LAURA DON'T MOVE!" ordered Jackson!

The ice was _cracking_ beneath her. She could see the cracks growing wider. They had no idea how deep this cavern was! No idea what these vines were?! She stared at the darkness of the abyss now visible through the thinning ice. Steam began rising from the ledge. She felt a distinct squishiness beneath her that hadn't existed before.

That very well should never have existed.

"Jack…" she whispered.

CRACK.

"Laura, listen don't move! It's going to be okay!" said Jack.

He couldn't afford to panic now, the ice looked to be held together by those "_vein_" things alone! One false move and his Laura would be lost to the abyss!

CRACK. CRACK.

"Jack…Jackson," cried Laura tears falling from her terrified blue eyes.

"Listen Laura! It's going to be okay Laura!" said Jackson as he made his way closer to her. Simultaneously tying a rope around his waist before plunging his pick into the wall of ice above his own ledge.

"Look I'm going to set up our climbing gear, all you have to do after I get this pick set is throw me your rope," he started to explain, when he caught an indistinct image near his reflection in the ice!

He froze.

His eyes grew wide.

_A dark figure floated in the ice's reflection, behind his own, two red eyes stared at him out of a gaunt feminine face. Dark veins stretched out from it's body like the branches of trees making terrible skeletal like shapes. _

"_JAAACKSON!" screamed Laura in pure terror!_

He tried to look at Laura but he couldn't take his eyes away from the _formless_ _figure _reflected in the ice!It was as if two strong _hot_ hands held his face in an iron hold! He felt his body grow incredibly warm, sweat pouring from his pores.

"_See me," he heard the figure hiss inside his skull._

"_JACK! HELP ME! JACK!" screamed Laura._

"_See me," it hissed again._

"Laura," came Jackson's quivering voice.

The _figures reflection _grew even closer, Jackson tried to look away, he could now feel his skin peeling off from the _heat_ where _it _held him in some sort of vice like grip with _invisible claws_. He put all his strength into turning his head to the left, from the reflection towards Laura.

He regretted it instantly.

The ledge under Laura was gone. Ice was melting from the cliff's side now.

Jackson wanted to throw up at the image he was seeing. His dreams of the future flying out of his mind forever. As he watched in a morbid fascination as the _Creature's_ _Veins_ twisted around Laura's body crushing her, like anacondas. Exploding from the walls of the cavern in all directions, grouping in mass from the darkness that lay beneath them.

He looked on in horror, as it appeared that where Laura's skin met the _Veins_ her flesh _melted _under contact.

The air taking on the scent of burnt flesh.

"_Ahhahahhaaah," came a soft terrible hissing chuckle._

"JAAAAACKIIE!" Laura screamed as she thrust her blood covered free arm out towards him!

"Laura!" he cried, tears falling from his face.

He began to feel something tugging on his legs.

He looked down to see _Veins_ wrapping around his own body!

"_Fri..end..ss. Come. See. Me," echoed the sinister voice in his head._

Jackson Timmons felt a terrible premonition fill his whole body. The last word he heard from the locals replaying in his mind as he felt himself pulled downwards, deep into the darkness of the abyss.

"What had _Doden _meant?" he thought.

…..Laura screamed.

(((((((((Line Break)))))))

"JAAAAACK!"

_Came a voice across the winds of the North Pole._

"FRRRROSSSST!"

_Heard the Yeti's who stood guard outside a legendary workshop. One named Phil shook his head. It had to be a Friday._

_Jack Frost always made trouble on Fridays._

"JOKUL FROSTI!" boomed a thick Russian voice! Before a large carved wooden door was swung open to reveal a tall big-bellied bearded man.

Across from the doorway, laid the wonderful now icy remains of what had possibly been a fantastic Christmas kitchen. Where small little beings, called Elves, wearing large golden bells scurried around trying to get metal spoons from being frozen to their tongues. A task proving to be near impossible for the poor 1ft jingle, jangling creatures who had taken to try rolling, tugging, pulling and scolding hot water to save themselves from tongue use deprivation! A horrifying thing to be sure when this particular kitchen was a cookie fanatics dream!

Needless to say they weren't having much luck. One elf had even had the most unfortunate fate of trying to lick frosting from the inside of a bowl bigger than themselves. A case that led to the result of the poor thing to be left pretty much in a permanent handstand position.

The bearded man couldn't help but stare for a few moments at this new element of chaos he'd walked into. 'You would think after 299 years, I would know by now to expect this,' he thought to himself. Trying very hard to ignore the inner devil he held inside his soul that wanted to go grab the _one_ responsible and haul _them_ to the Yeti's!

He realized he was forgetting why he had come in and "nudging" a helpless jingle-jangling spoon stuck elf out of his way, he made a path to the far corner of the room. Where plenty of mild chuckling could be heard from the strange figure that resided there.

_Jack Frost_ or as _North_, liked to call him by his original name _Jokul Frosti_ looked to be somewhere around the age of fifteen. In truth North estimated that the lad had to be closer to the age of 385 years old, approximately. North guessed this, because it had been exactly 315 years ago when North had first discovered _Jokul Frosti_.

If North closed his eye's he could still visualize the small ten-year-old looking child. That stood outside in a blizzard staring into other people's homes with a face full of longing desperation. He could still see that same small boy later being scared out of his wits at having been caught, then trying to sneak into said people's houses soon after.

North smiled at the memory of how during that legendary first meeting with_ Jokul Frosti_, the boy had thrown a snowball right in his face, in an attempt to distract him from catching him.

But sure enough North did catch the little troublemaker, and after learning a few things about Jokul had then taken it upon himself to take care of the lad. A task that had proved nearly impossible, partly due to the boy's _wild _nature that caused the lad to go flying off for weeks on end around the world, and more so because much as North hated to admit it. He had just been too busy. Between running his duties of bringing the _Wonder_ of Christmas to the children of the world and his obligations as one of the _Immortal Guardians of Earth_, on top of monitoring all Elf & Yeti activity, not to mention his own _Sorcerer _responsibilities as a descendent of _Merlin_, well the sad fact was that when it came to raising a child, North's attention had been nothing but divided.

In short he had set out to be a kind of _father _figure to the lad, but had instead become rather an honorary _Uncle_ of sorts. Still despite the lack of consistency in North's parenting, he had at least been able to provide some form of stability for the child over the last decade or so. For if nothing else the boy knew that no matter how many times he _stole _his sleigh, _hijacked _gifts, _froze _elves or _wrote _on _Santa's List_ that North would still be there to help him if he needed it.

Yes. For whatever it was worth North had taken the strange child under his protection. Which was ironic considering that quickly after Jokul's arrival at the North Pole it became very clear that the boy could easily defend himself.

'Frozen Yeti's could attest to that,' thought North in amusement.

Why the first two days _Jokul Frosti_ had lived in North's workshop had been nothing short of an adventure! Some of the Yeti's still insisted on receiving counseling from that first week alone.

Still the boy had a certain amount of _magic_ to him that eventually always caused a soft spot to grow over any problems the boy may have ever created.

The thing was North mused internally, was that _Jokul Frosti_ despite being troublesome, tricky, and mischief incarnate had other traits that were just too good to be overshadowed by the ones that weren't. For instance Jokul was brave, kind, giving, and to North's eternal surprise incredibly _loyal,_ (when the lad desired to be)_._

On a physical level the boy was very strong, yet due to his lankiness, long fingers and ethereal exterior Jack appeared delicate for a lad. A misleading set of features, North knew especially. For Jokul had plenty of sinew like muscle, that had more then once been used to beat a Yeti named Wallace at arm-wrestling every New Years.

North supposed it didn't help that Jokul's skin was paler than snow sharing an overall blue tint giving him yet another added apparition like affect that was sometimes mistaken for illness.

For the longest time the elves had followed Jokul with thermometers at attempts to take the lads temperature. North still grimaced over how many elves had gotten colds after that ordeal.

North sighed at the recollection, often had he found himself in his spare time wondering over the last hundred years just what _Jokul Frosti_ was? In secret he had even tried to find Jokul's kin without the child knowing but no matter where North had looked, nothing could be found.

Nothing.

Nothing, but a small hunch, North had only recently been considering, yet the chances of it being true were so slim? The idea though, even if just a hunch, filled North with _awe!_

_(Mini Line Break)_

"_Hahaha..oh. oh..don't try the water again! Hahahah!," came a chuckling voice in response to a poor elf's desperate attempts at freedom from Stuck On Frozen Spoon Tongue Horror. _

Snapping back to the present issue North spoke with his heavy Russian accent, "Jokul! See you've found vay into kitchen! And look already, alvays mischief! What am I to do with you!" stated the bearded man, as he crossed his arms, gazing up at the small figure.

One of the elves with a soup ladlestuck to its tongue began jumping up and down in front of North, incensed! North could only shrug his shoulders at it.

"Hey there North! Hope you don't mind I stopped by. Thought you could use a visit." came a young slightly, cheeky yet pleasant male voice.

"Visit? Oh. Ho. Ho. HO..That's a good vone," laughed North gripping his belly in amusement, "Ah… Jokul you broke in my office." North finished seriously.

"Broke in? Me? Now why would I do a thing like that?!" exclaimed the youth from his perch, eyes that could have been two perfect untouched jewels from the sea shone in mock atonishment.

"I VILL TELL YOU WHY!" proclaimed North in equal ethusiam finger pointing to the sky in emphasis, "But first you must guess what I found on my list a few minutes ago!"

"An Ink Blot?" asked Jokul Frosti smugly.

"HA. Guess again." Replied North.

"I'm on the nice list!" said Jokul a wicked grin filling his face.

North merely let out a few jollies at that one, "Nice List! Bah! Not in a million years! You give up?"

Jokul smirked a little, pretending to let out a yawn, "Let me sleep on it!"

"Frost," said North criss-crossing his arms matter of factly. Causing a slight flex of the muscles under the tattooed limbs he had with the words _Naughty _on one side and _Nice_ on the other. North tapped his foot as he tried to gain an authoritative stance that would grab the boy's attention.

The boy only yawned again & this time North watched, as the lad seemed to float away to the top beams of the kitchen. He narrowed his eyes as Jokul settled himself on one beam closer to the kitchen windows. For all purposes the boy appeared to be actually getting ready to go to sleep but North knew this trick.

Jokul was feeling uncomfortable.

He internally marveled at fate's fickleness. That he _Santa Claus, or North_ _Guardian of Wonder_ whose job it was to expose children to the wonder of life away from the serious grimness of the world. Now had to initiate what would no doubt be a serious conversation with a child.

"_A very lost, 385 year old child, who even with your influence has lived a life of almost complete and constant solitude. A lonely existence even with us Guardians," _North reflected sullenly to himself.

"Jokul," North began slowly as he ignored yet another spoon-crazed elf, "You broke into my office. I vound _frost _on my magical parchment which I distinctly spelled so it could NOT vecome icy."

There was silence from the beam above.

"You have not snuck a peak at my _List_ since you was at least 150 years vold. The last time you did so…was vecause you had accidently broken one of _Sandy's Dream Bottles_," North said. He watched the lad very carefully noting the slight hardness of Jokul's shoulders. The tightening of the grip the boy's hand had upon his precious _staff._

Most especially though, North paid extra close attention on the lad's face, the slightest flicker of the eyelids on Jack's eye's could mean a range of things from guilt to defiance. For over the last 300 hundred years North knew for a fact that the boy tended to be more like an animal. No doubt as a direct result of his life of isolation. Jokul's first language was spoken with his body. Every feature, every small movement of muscle, every tilt of the head, twitch of a finger meant something coming from Jokul. In many ways this made the lad an open book, but North knew better.

Oh for the most part Jokul was nothing if not himself why when Jokul was excited his eyes would grow wide to the point where they would shine like two _emerald icicles_. His grin could go from being mildly mischievous to simply curious in just one blink. While in irritation the lad's face would sharpen, his eyebrows would draw together and his jaw would clench.

In anger the boy's normally attractive light-hearted playful exterior would slowly replace itself with a magnetic intensity that scared even North sometimes secretly. Yet in sorrow the boy's eyes would glisten, and his entire body would tense up like a spring waiting to be sprung.

Often when the child was sad North would find the boy drawing images in the large windows of one of his factories spare rooms, for comfort, instead of talking. The boy was contemplative in melancholy, and was the only person North knew who could say hundreds of things while saying nothing at all.

Which was how North knew that someone who could _speak_ the language of _silence_ could also _master _the tongue of the _spoken._

_Jokul Frosti appeared an open book for all accounts, but like the invisibility that hid him from the world, North understood that much of the child's inner self was plagued by mystery, and equally unseen, even from him. A being that had known Jokul for 315 years._

In this current instance North could read _uncertainty_ within the lad's _crystal _eyes. "Uncertainty and anxiety," North observed mentally with a deepening frown as the boy seemed to shrug a bit. Then slowly floated back down to the floor of the kitchen. Staff still gripped tightly North also noted. Clearly something was deeply bothering the boy.

"Okay..North," began Jokul softly letting his gaze focus on the hardwood kitchen floor, "I'll spill."

North leaned down to give the boy some gentle encouragement by putting his large hands upon the lad's shoulder. He was alarmed to find that Jokul was shaking just a tiny bit?

"Jack?" North queried using the new name Jokul had made for himself over the years. Hoping it would help solidify the lad's confidence a bit.

"North….I," began Jokul again slowly, "I was seen."

"NI FEGE SEBE!" North cried shocked in his native tongue, "_CRIKEY!"_

His outburst was accompanied by the sound of multiple crashing spoons falling to the floor freely, as Jack's concentration was disrupted. Every elf in the kitchen gawked at the two legendary figures in shock. Tongues hanging out in silence at the enormous fact that JACK FROST HAD BEEN SEEN!

The yeti named Samson who held head chef position had come back from his lunch break early due to being informed that his kitchen was a mess. Fell into a faint right there in the doorway at Jack's announcement.

Jack Frost himself flinched a bit at the clattering noise in the kitchen but his eyes still remained downward. He was still coming to terms with his new situation. Still trying to cope with the fact that only ten days ago he had been_ seen_, _heard _and even _touched_ by another _human being_.

Jack wasn't even sure if he was _human_ at least not entirely?

Regardless the fact was that try as he might, his world had changed, and that had _frightened_ Jack. So he had decided after four days of flying in circles around much of North America that he would go for the one _Guardians_ help he could always rely on…._North_ better known as _Santa Claus._

North for his part was completely stunned. Of all the things North had expected of Jokul to say, being seen was the very bottom of the list! Still what a wonder!

"Ho! Ha Ha! This is splendid! Elves prepare some music! We must 'ave celebration! Coco for everyone!" cried North jubiliantly, "Samson! Samson! Off the Floor, ve must contact the other Guardians!" He then with a loud laugh picked Jokul up in his arms in a large bear hug.

"I knew it! I knew vone day you'd be seen!" Swinging the lad back and forth like a rag doll, going into the bellowing of an old Russian Song for Victory from his childhood.

"North! North! Wait," cried Jokul as he was swung around the kitchen while trying to remember how to maintain breathing, "North it's not what you think!"

At that North plopped the lad down on a kitchen stool, his eyes still twinkling in excitement as his belly shook in jolliness, "Ho! Ho! Jokul Frosti! What not what I think? You are at last _believed _in! Tell me how the child came to see you! No doubt it vas a surprise!"

Jokul with a now very ruffled exterior, tried to regain his equilibrium. It always shocked him how he could pull off the craziest aerodynamic stunts but two minutes being swung by North would give him dizzy spells. Why he'd even dropped his _scepter_!

_Everyone, being the Immortal Guardians, assumed it was just a stupid tree branch but to Jack it was something extremely important. Despite it's humble exterior it was in essence a part of Jack himself and much more then just a simple piece of wood. It was the one and only thing in the world that Jack truly owned. His only connection to his memories before the lake, and a crutch for his control over a portion of his powers. So to keep it safely hidden in plain view Jack privately allowed everyone to think it was just a wooden staff. _

Not having it in his hands made Jack panic a moment. His eyes shooting to the floor space under the table before he quickly found his _scepter _being picked up by a _curious _elf. Who looked like it was about to lick it?

Jack's_ instincts_ kicked in. A quick twitch of the fingers and the elf was blown clear off the floor to fly straight into a pile of cookie batter that was residing peacefully on the kitchen counter's top shelf. Knocking said batter off the shelf and onto the floor.

"Yaaaaarghooooo!" said the elf.

"Plop." Replied the batter.

"Whoops," muttered Jack.

Staff or _scepter_ back in hand, Jack then glanced at North who had been too busy instructing the other elves in his happiness on how to make proper Cocoa, to notice Jack's tiny accident.

Jack hadn't really meant to send the little guy flying in the air, but when it came to Jack using _magic _that was anything but _ice related_. Well things never quite went the way Jack wanted them too.

This was all right though because he was working on it.

Two seconds later three more elves suddenly flew across the room to land in cookie dough, flour, and butter respectively.

FLOP.

PUFF.

PLOP. GLOOP.

Jack stared in ill-hidden worry at the Elf- missiles he had just accidently created. The tiniest frown forming on his face.

Jack looked at North quickly in embarrassed dread. Only to see that North had moved from hyped up elves over to the chef yetis passed out form. In North's efforts to wake up the sleeping Samson so that they could all celebrate the _Seeing of Jack Frost _with proper yeti Coco, North had decided that clapping his hands loudly would do the job.

"Samson! Samson! Wake up! We must ave Coco!" shouted North to the passed out Yeti.

The fact was that the Elves just couldn't handle making Coco. They were too easily distracted by marshmallows.

At North's distraction, Jack let out a sigh of relief.

'Right. I'm working on it. I'm figuring it out,' Jack thought to himself sternly wanting to deny his own lack of control, 'Focus Jack. Note to self Elf-missiles. Worry about my _other magic or whatever_ later.'

"Well, you see North the thing is…."Jack hesitated, as North's attention swiveled back from a rising Samson to the boy sitting on the stool, "It. Well it….The thing is."

"Yes? Jokul go on!" shouted North merrily.

Jack took a deep breath.

"It wasn't a child."

CLANG.

THUD.

Samson's body hit the floor just about the same time that North's cheery mood evaporated into alarm. For a split second North's mind denied even the possibility of what his ears had heard, ' a child seeing Jack was one thing but being seen by an adult was quite another.'

'_What does this mean?_' North thought to himself.

"Are you certain Jack?" asked North forgetting all about Samson. As he went to the kitchen cabinets himself, to make him and the lad some Cocoa, they were absolutely going to need some with the way this conversation was headed.

Jack sat sullenly in silence on the wooden bar stool at one of North's long flour-covered tables that resided closest to the stove. He was a bit nervous about telling North everything but wasn't that why he had come back here? Jack mulled over his indecision deciding enough was enough. He needed advice.

(Line Break)

North put a small red kettle on the stove, waiting patiently for the lad to speak. He didn't have to wait long. The minute North pulled out two _Gingerbread_ shaped mugs Jack began explaining the events that had occurred _ten_ days ago.

"I'm not really sure how it happened. I had just finished helping _Tooth find one of her missing fairies_, you know how she looses track of them every now and then," began Jokul, as North listened closely, taking two candy cane stirrers out.

Registering once again the unusual fact that Jokul Frosti could find one of Tooth's so called Fairies, no matter where they were, when Tooth herself couldn't. It was one of the many details that North had gathered to form his little hunch about Jack.

_For the truth was that although Tooth carried traces of the legendary Fae blood within her as did her tiny sisters, a fact proven by the wings alone. She herself was not Fae. Not in the sense of what all of Merlin's descendents had been raised to understand. In fact Tooth the Immortal Guardian of Childhood Memory, and her small sisters were more closely related to the tiny woodland Brownies of old. Or the littler known folk that had once been called Ellyllons two different subspecies that shared remnants of Fae blood but were not Fae themselves. _

_Not full Fae. _

_Not the Fey of Avalon. _

_An ancient race of beings that had once been both masters and creators of the Realm of Earth. Otherworldly creatures that had according to Merlin's Journal had all but vanished even during his lifespan, in the days of King Arthur. A people whose powers had been so intertwined with the energy of the world that Merlin had theorized that it was to the Earth's very life force they had all returned. Never again to grace the light of day with their presence save in story and myth. _

"_To become nothing more but children's bedtime tales," Merlin had written in his Journal for his descendents. Yet despite the words of his ancestor North also known as Santa Claus couldn't help but question his forefather's written notes on the Fey? _

"_Why would the supposed Ancients of Earth abandon their home? Why would the very first of Earth's people simply disappear when they made up part of the planet's life? What of The Lady of the Lake and with her The Sword of Avalon? "_

_Merlin's notes made little to no sense in regards to these questions. In frustration North was certain after scrutinizing his ancestor's journal countless times within the last 200 hundred years that Merlin had not known the real answer either and had only accepted these strange entities disappearance as part of fate's design. Which North had decided was nothing short of his ancestor's laziness and a blatant attempt to ignore the more grisly aspects that North himself had found upon his own search for answers. _

"North? Are you even listening?" came Jokul's exasperated voice.

_Yes. His own findings on the Fey had proven two things, the first was that the Fey had been beyond powerful in magic and had possessed almost a complete divinity with the cosmos. A fact that had made early humanity it seemed extremely envious. The second was that most if not all of them and any other species with connections to them had been brutally hunted down by humanities jealousy or so it would seem._

_In his most recent studies of the subject North had found a breadcrumb so to speak, of something far worse. Which had led him to another conclusion for his ancestor's silence on the subject of the Ancients of Earth leaving. _

"Hey North, you know I froze the mayor of New York," stated Jack his tone light despite his irritation, "I also built a giant snow man on top of the Empire State Building."

_Whatever had befallen the Fey and all variations of their kind in Earth's early days, one thing was certain, there was barely anything of them left. _

North kept on stirring the hot chocolate in the Gingerbread mugs, his eyes staring into the Chocó lately depths, as his brow drew into deeper puzzlement.

_If anything Tooth's kind was possibly a third or fourth cousin to the Fey of Avalon, the last living off shoot of the species. That had only managed to survive perhaps due to their largely hidden home. Tooth Palace. That was North's guess anyhow though he speculated if Tooth's powers as an Immortal Guardian of Earth granted to her by the mysterious _Man in the Moon_ also had something to do with it? _

_He couldn't be certain but he had the strong desire to ask the _Moon_ at his next opportunity. Hopefully "Manny" would send back an answer in his dreams. Maybe Tooth herself knew something that he, Santa Claus, did not?_

"I don't believe this?!" Jack yelled rising from his seat. Waving his staff in a small circle of annoyance, filling the air with a chill that had nearby elves running out the door in a hasty retreat!

After the spoons being stuck to their tongues earlier trying to wrap presents was looking safer by the second. The cookie dough could be eaten another day! Jack Frost was getting angry and after many years the elves with their jingle-jangly little brains had managed to learn one important thing. When _Frost _was angry it was time to "run up the chimney!"

"Right well.. as great as this has all been North I really think it's about time I head out," said Jack as he finally lost patience with his would –be _Uncle's _inactivity, "I'll stop by again sometime."

What had he been thinking? Mused Jack to himself in an irritated huff, coming to North for advice, if the _Guardian of Wonder_ wasn't busy with making toys he was working with the Yetti's or staring into snow globes. Jack was halfway to the Kitchen's main window when North thanks to one elf's brave ankle bite snapped him from his thoughts of _Fey._

"_TOOTH!_ YEARGH! OWW! HO! JOKUL WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!" yelled North in alarm spilling Coco and trying to shake the elf off his boot.

"Don't worry I'll be back soon, " shrugged Jack lazily as he kept walking giving North just a quick smile of confidence as he jumped onto the window's ledge.

"JOKUL WAIT!" cried North in a panic! He couldn't let Jokul leave yet not when he still didn't know whom it was that had seen the lad!

"JOKUL YOU AVE TO TELL ME WHO IT WAS!" shouted North as he finally shook off that one blasted elf!

Jack ignored North's protests and _unlocked _the Kitchen window, with just a flicker of his other kind of _magic. _He ignored the remaining elves behind him who were now running towards the window ledge. Tripping over the spoons that had fallen to the floor earlier making loud jingle sounds.

As the window opened fully Jack Frost felt a rush of cold air brush lightly over him like a gentle caress. T_he wind was calling him now. _The air for one brief moment smelled of pine, cinnamon, and the far off Northern Sea. The mingling scents pulled at Jack's senses, there was no going back now.

_He just had to fly!_

"JOKUL! WHO WAS IT?!" shouted North sensing the boy's departure.

Jack Frost closed his teal _emerald eyes _for a second as he breathed in the wintry air of the _North Pole_. He then turned back around into the kitchen to find North quickly making his way over to him with a worried frown. He realized somewhere that he should have been worried as well. But it was odd it was as if somehow all of his previous fear had just melted away.

The minute Jack in his telling had realized he was being ignored by North he had recalled _Tony Stark_'s initial reaction to him. "_What do you mean no one see's you? I see you?"_ the _man _had said to him.

I see you.

They were just three little words, but for the last ten days those three little words had haunted Jack Frost over and over. To the point where Jack had gone and made a blizzard in Seattle that was breaking records, just as a means to distract himself.

Now though, looking at North's worried expression all Jack could feel was a guilty _excitement!_ Someone in the world could finally see him! Someone else could finally talk to him, beside a Guardian. Someone who didn't have _Guardian _duties to distract him, a smile began to spread across Jack's face.

"I could have fun with this," thought Jack as his smile morphed to a full-blown cheeky grin.

"JOKUL FROSTI! I KNOW THAT GRIN! YOU STOP THERE!" shouted North as he made a leap for the window.

North's jump came too late though. Jack Frost had already gone out the window and was now rising with the northern winds to the clouds above. A playful grin upon his face as he whispered to the air his desired destination.

North slowly pulled himself back up. He could only watch in concern as the lad flew far out of his reach, only turning back once to shout, "I'll be back. Lay off the Sugar Cookies for awhile!" before continuing his flight.

North took a deep breath as he reached out to pull the Kitchen window closed. He then stood still for a moment watching as the small _mysterious_ figure of Jokul Frosti flew farther away. When North could no longer make the child out he turned back to his Kitchen to find Samson the Yeti Chef and seven elves to be staring at him.

"Vell, everybody, show's over, back to business," commanded North.

Like practiced clockwork the elves began cleaning the messy remains of the Kitchen as Samson began washing all the dirtied spoons.

North himself made his way back to his office. His mind pondering over the recent events, namely Jack Frost being seen by an adult, and what could come from such a thing. He couldn't help but feel a strong sense of foreboding?

Seeming as if in agreement his belly grumbled.

(Major- Line Break)))))*******

Everything hurt.

Everything ached.

The air that rushed past his body was cold, but the vines burned.

"I can't hear Laura screaming anymore" his mind spoke.

"I can't hear anything," he observed sorrowfully.

As once more he vomited at another violent twist.

There was only the sensation of plummeting and spinning.

For hours Jackson Timmons felt his poor body spun like a roller coaster ride as the tunnels of ice rose all around him, the wind rushing by his ears. His stomach now constantly rolling over, as he felt his blood drain from his bodies wounds that the coils of the _veins_ had inflicted upon him. His ears popping for a third time as he was spun yet again in an alternative direction.

Down, down, down, down, the _vein-like roots _took him.

Down deep under the Greenland Ice Cavern where no sunlight could ever hope to reach.

Down to the bottom of the freezing abyss.

Finally like a miracle the world stopped spinning. Jackson Timmons felt himself thrust onto a cold hard _uneven_ surface. He felt the skin on his hands get scratched by the impact.

Until this point he had kept his eyes closed but at that the necessary need to know where he was. He forced himself to open his eyes, the minute he did he screamed!

_Bones._

_Bones beneath his bleeding hands._

_Bones surrounding him on all sides._

Hundreds upon hundreds of _bones_ lay before him. Cast in a strangely blue subterranean light, he could not identify.

He lost a part of his mind as he gazed upon the _mountains of_ _bones that went on and on._ Letting loose a choked sob as he realized that nearly all types of living life on Earth from _human_ to elephant to _one horned_ creatures were mixed together here in this place, this place of _death._

He tried to swallow, but found his tongue had decided to disappear. He kept on staring at the _bones_ across from him. Their hollow eyes and open jaws given an eerie life-like suspension of eternal agony. That for one split second he could have sworn had _come back to life to move _closer to him! Frightened as he was, he couldn't help soiling himself a little as he picked up on another unwelcome detail of his new location.

Entangled in all the _bones_ were the _Dark ugly Veins_, the same that had brought Laura and him down to this cold pit of doom.

"Laura" he whispered, where was Laura?

He tried to stand, but due to prolonged fear combined with the rickety surface he stood on he fell back down instantly. Pain shot through his skull as he realized his fall would cause a lump to form on the back of his already bruised skull.

"Laura," he wept, "Laurraaaa."

An image of her sitting with him in a café where they went on their first date flashed before his eyes, her blond hair held back by a pink hair clip. Her smile filled with laughter at one of his poorly construed jokes.

_Two hot hands holding his skull as her body burned from that thing's Vines!_

"I have to save her," Jackson said, as he struggled to his feet once more his desperation for his companion giving him the strength to ignore the deceased underneath of him, "Laura I'm coming."

He had no idea what this _terrible _thing was that they had awaken. No knowledge on how to save Laura from the same fate as all these _other_ people that had entered here before them, but it didn't matter, to Jackson. He loved Laura, and he would save her, or die trying.

His focus on saving Laura gave him energy to move through the wasteland of _human bones that _looked in the strange light like they_ had been fused together by a great amount of heat._

As he climbed through the _bones_ he couldn't help but note the sulfuric residue that was embedded in some of them. Why? He could even smell sulfur in the air. In desperation to keep his mind distracted as he continued his journey towards where he prayed the strange blue light was originating from, he tried to study the hollowed out ceiling formations above.

This place was extremely old he realized. Even with the blue light the entire cave was very dark making it hard to see but he couldn't help but identify what he knew to be deep layers of the Earth's crusts.

"Were so very far down Laura," Jackson whispered to himself, noting how even in the ceiling they were skeletons of the deceased. As if some _tar like substance_ had _flown _over and _singed _everything?

"Maybe you were right about the volcano Laura. This whole place is like a pyre," Jackson later said, as the skeletons he began climbing after a few hours began looking increasingly like _Pompeii Victims._

_(Mini Line Break)_

Slowly Jackson made his way beyond the bones to what looked like some sort of huge 400ft cathedral entrance. He gazed in awe at the two humongous torches that stood on enormous marble totems on either side of the entrance. Both well lit by strong blue flames. As he stepped closer he eyes shifted to the great staircase that led to the entrance. _It was entirely carved from ice, and it was melting._

Jackson gulped. He would have been lying if he had said that in that moment he didn't fear going forward. He would have been lying if he said that in that one second he had not thought, "I should save myself." Instead of following his instincts he pressed on placing one foot on the stairs.

Gigantic skeletons that couldn't possibly be human covered in ice loomed against the walls when he walked through the entrance. Their gargantuan skulls gazed down upon him as he walked making him feel like some queer little bug that was about to be stepped on for trespassing. Upon making his way he observe red the large circular room he had entered where in the center a humongous stalactite met a stalagmite. A pool of dark blackish water lined around the stalagmite's base.

Jackson couldn't help his own amazement. There was no way the ice in this chamber was naturally made, and yet it had to have been natural to last so long?

As Jackson stared at what could easily have been the greatest wonder of the world he felt the dread from before creep it's way back into him times ten.

_Dark Veins coiled out into the stalactite portion of the ice formation. They ran their way into the ceiling stretching up and up to the surface above that he knew would eventually lead back to the hills of bones. From where the Veins began there in the center of the joined stalagmite and stalactite formation was the figure from before._

Jackson took a step back, but he found himself enthralled once more by the _…woman _before him.

_Frozen in the core of the ice the pale skinned woman looked like she was sleeping. Her dark hair spread out in a halo around her as if blowing in the wind. A bright blood red crown of stone sat upon her head, it's metal twisted with the small details of miniature skeletons that seemed to have been melted into it. In each skeletons hands were beautiful multi-colored jewels. _

_Her sickly thin arms were raised to chest level where they crossed each other. Her hands thinner then her arms ended with long black claws in place of nails. That matched her torn medieval gown. _

_All of this was nothing though to Jackson, for he could only keep looking at the bone like things protruding from the side of where the woman's ribcage was. As if the ribs had just kept on growing, right out through her skin? Where they locked with more bones that appeared to be coming from the woman's back. Bones that as the eye traveled along them began to turn a darker brown until reaching a blacker shade._

_Her bones to his disbelief were the Veins._

_And when one looked back at the woman one saw that in between the bones, closer to the woman, was a type of thin translucent skin that grew with the bones._

_To form the remains of what appeared to be shredded wings._

Jackson had not been sure before when he and Laura had first been attacked. But standing here, with his mind trying to block out what exactly it was he was seeing. He couldn't help but recall the memory of his sister Margery decorating her room with hundreds of _winged woman_ in his youth. His scientific mind begged him not to listen as a word danced upon his lips, but the _bones and skin were clearly attached to this woman's flesh!_ The flash of an old _Disney movie _where a boy asked the audience, "_Do you believe?"_ played in his head like a song.

He felt himself stop breathing momentarily.

It was impossible. It was completely unscientific. It was nothing but myth. It wasn't even myth, it was fantasy rubbish like _Tolkien._ There was no truth to it. It just could not be. Yet he found himself speaking it despite himself.

"_Fairy," _he whispered in shear shock.

"_Fairy,"_ he said again as his eyes swept over the _frozen woman. _

This discovery would change everything, absolutely everything.

"_God. It's a real fairy_," he said to himself.

"JACKSON DON'T SAY IT!" came a loud scream from his right.

"LAURA?" he shouted as he turned to face the direction her call had come from, 'how could I have forgotten about Laura!' he scolded himself furiously!

"JACKSON RUN! RUN JACKSON!" Laura shouted her voice filled with conviction.

"No! I won't leave you!" he shouted back, desperately!

"LAURA WHERE ARE YOU?" he hollered.

Before Laura could respond, Jackson felt droplets of something on his forehead, he looked up and felt sick.

Laura was hanging from the ceiling, by the _Fairy's Branchlike bones,_ her blood and tears dripping onto the floor below, "Jackson leave me! You have to go! Someone has to warn everyone! YOU HAVE TO WARN EVERYONE! EVERYONE!"

"NO LAURA, I WON'T LEAVE YOU WITH THAT _FAIRY _THING!" screamed Jackson.

"DON'T SAY IT!" screamed Laura back.

"Laura!"

"_Heeeheee," hissed a soft laughing female voice._

"NOOOooooo," wailed Laura.

"_Njerezore Little. Njerezore Little," the inhuman voice began singing._

Jackson felt a force pull his body around like a puppet. He heard Laura screaming her head off above him, as he was brought face to face with the _woman in ice_ whose _orange glowing eyes_ were now open wide. Her gaunt yet attractive visage twisting into a menacing smug smile.

Jackson felt a wave of irony hit him as he realized he was below thousands of feet of ice but was so hot his skin was starting to bubble.

He instinctually screamed at his body began to burn from the inside.

The _woman's smile_ grew to the point where it elongated her whole face, sharp teeth gleaming as she spoke, "_ . Njerezore Little. Nje pak. Seeeeee meeee. Little human. See me."_

"Ahhhhhhhgh!" Jackson screamed as he lost feeling in his feet.

"_Yes…See me. Free me. Scream," the monster hissed in his mind._

"JACKSON!" screamed Laura somewhere.

"_Scream for me nje pak," laughed the fairy woman._

"DON'T KILL HIM PLEASE!" begged someone.

"_Scream for _Mab_ ," it sang merrily._

Jackson Timmons felt an unholy amount of pain as the world he knew began to fade.

The last thing he heard was the awful sound of _ice cracking_.

The last thing he felt was fire.

((((((((( Major Line Break))))))))))))))))))))))))

Pitch Black was down in the darkness of his lair reorganizing his latest projects when it hit him!

A _Fear_ so powerful that he ended up falling to his knees in alarm.

It gripped him strongly from the very core of his being, his dark heart pulsed erratically. As he felt a mortal man and woman's fright consume him, he caught flashes of the source of their terror play amongst his mind.

_Dark Vines choked him, burning him! Mountains of bones piled all around him. He hung from the ceiling as he watched a friend's fallen form be devoured by fire. A pair of red orange glowing orbs under dark eyelashes stared back at him. Instantly knowing him._

"NO!" cried Pitch as he shook himself from the vision, his body of it's own accord scrambling to get away from those horrible eyes. He ended up crab walking right back into his Operations Table. Where he sat for 20 minutes, trying to restore breathing normality.

Never in all his years had he experienced such a full sampling of _Fear. "_I'm even sweating!" he chuckled to himself, "What was that?"

Whatever it was, Pitch Black picked himself off of the floor and gazed out at the darkness of his lair. A foreign sensation of something watching him crept up his spine to the base of his neck.

_Suddenly the Shadows didn't feel all that empty anymore. _

Translation:************************************** *****************

1."Beware of the cursed place where Madness rests. Do not disturb it. "

damned lie there. Please heed me. I fear for you. "

not go! Stupid Americans listen to us!  
The dark one resting there!  
If you wake her, she'll take you!

will not return! Madness is located there.

must sleep!

Only death is there.

Death! Americans! Death!

Njerezore Little means: Little Human in Albanian.

Nje pak means: Little One.

Disclaimer: So I do not own the following: Avengers & all characters related nor do I own the Rise of the Guardians & all things related. Sob.

I do own Mab…and any original OC's alongside the basic plot idea I'm making here, that's it.

Other things to note: This is not a complete crossover. I can't stress that enough. In order to make things make sense & actually create a believable Avengers Guardian Universe I must alter things. For instance Jack's appearance, for the most part he looks just like he does in the film but to be believed as Loki's son's I had to give the character more physical traits that could be shared by the father, example: having the dark roots of Jack's hair visible & of course his eyes.

Another note: I know some things are confusing, but I promise that it will all make sense by the end of the story if we ever get there or at least with a few more chapters. I have a plan, I swear. Also there is no possible way for me to please everyone. You read at your own risk, I apologize if that's harsh but well, there you have it.

Moving on at long last I finally finished another chapter and let me just say that this one was excruciatingly difficult! I might add! I had to start it over twice! At one point I was even about to drop the whole thing in moody aggravation especially considering I'm not getting paid for this. Then I realized that I just couldn't do that to all of you SAINTS really you are Saints to even pick this thing up much less read it! I COULD KISS ALL OF…SWEET BABY JESUS…169 OF YOU following this!

I am truly humbled. Really. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Your support encourages me!

Well, this chapter is quite long so I'm going to wrap the disclaimer up now. Again I apologize for the massive wait in between updates but I work a full-time job up to nearly six days a week sometimes,6-8 hours a day that takes it's toll. So please remember to treat this fic not like your daily dosage but rather as a fun little tidbit.

I may not update often but I try to make up for it with full chapters.

Lastly, this chapter also is a good indicator for how dark/slightly mature the story potentially will be at times. However I don't want to have to change the age rating so I will try to keep it to only about this level of violence etc. etc. etc. when _necessary. The story itself will perhaps ultimately end up in the PG-13 realm._

*For those of you wondering about Thanos…I am undecided on whether or not to bring him in as of right now. I may or may not. You shall have to wait & see."

"For those of you waiting to see more Loki. You may have to wait a bit more."

"For those of you who want faster updates…..I will do my best."

Love..Stella Limegood.

And Thanks.

P.S. Other fics have not been abandoned but seeing how everyone likes the two Avenger ones those shall be focused on primarily.


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